Shanghai closes out the Valorant season this October, and the Valorant Champions betting odds are already all over the place, because three different teams have won international events in 2026 and none of them looks like a safe pick.
Here we cover everything important before the group stage begins, starting with the exact dates, the prize pool, and the format that Riot has settled on. We also take a look at the teams who have already booked their place in China, the history behind the event itself, and the players to watch based on their performance this season.
Champions 2026 heads to Shanghai
Champions 2026 takes place in Shanghai from 24 September to 18 October. Sixteen teams compete for a prize pool of $2,250,000, and they come from four regions, with four from each of the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, sorted by Stage 2 results and Championship Points. Four groups of four come first, then the bracket.
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 September to 18 October 2026 |
| Host city | Shanghai, China |
| Teams | 16 |
| Total prize pool | $2,250,000 |
| Qualification | Stage 2 placings and Championship Points |
| Format | Four groups of four, then a playoff bracket |
Three and a half weeks is a long time in a tournament like this, since a team can look ordinary in groups and still be the best in the building by mid-October, which is also why the Valorant Champions winner odds keep moving right through the event.
Five editions, five different winners
Champions has been the closing event of the Valorant calendar since 2021, and it happens once a year, always after the regional seasons and the Masters events have played out. It has moved around a fair bit as well, with Riot taking it to a new part of the world each time. Berlin, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Seoul and Paris have all hosted it so far, and now it is China's turn.
| Year | Host city | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Berlin | Acend | Gambit Esports |
| 2022 | Istanbul | LOUD | OpTic Gaming |
| 2023 | Los Angeles | Evil Geniuses | Paper Rex |
| 2024 | Seoul | EDward Gaming | Team Heretics |
| 2025 | Paris | NRG | Fnatic |
Five editions have produced five different champions, and no organisation has managed to win it twice. It is part of why the numbers you see on most new Valorant betting sites stay all over the place until the bracket thins out, since backing a repeat winner has never once paid off.
Americas teams have taken three of the five titles, while EMEA and China have one each, so the trophy has moved around the map almost as much as the event has.
Pacific are still waiting for their turn, since they have sent strong teams to every edition and come away with nothing each time.
The teams worth keeping an eye on
Some names carry into Shanghai on results rather than reputation, and a couple of them already know exactly what this stage feels like.
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming gave their region its first world title in Seoul, coming through a five-map final against Team Heretics. They have kept the core of that roster together since, which is rare at this level, and they picked up points all season long instead of relying on one big weekend in order to qualify for this year's Champions.
Paper Rex
Pacific's strongest team reached both Masters finals this season, losing to Nongshim RedForce in Santiago and then going down 3-2 to Leviatán in London. Two finals and no trophy is a bit strange considering the roster they have, though it does explain why their price moves around so much.
They also have history here, having lost the 2023 final to Evil Geniuses in Los Angeles. Their map pool has looked deep all year, so the pieces are there.
Leviatán, NRG and 100 Thieves
None of these three have a place in Shanghai yet, though all of them have given people plenty to talk about this year. Leviatán took Masters London the hard way, losing their opening playoff series and then winning four elimination series in a row without dropping a single map, which you rarely see at that level and a good reason to check the Esports betting odds through the link here before the tournament even begins.
NRG took the world title in Paris last year, while 100 Thieves went unbeaten at the Esports World Cup before beating NRG 3-1 in the final. Both still have to come through their regional stage first, so nothing is settled for either of them.
The names that keep showing up in the big series
While team synergy and form matter most, every so often a player shows up and carries their team to a win in style.
Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez had the standout performance of the year at Masters London, taking MVP honours while carrying Leviatán through four straight elimination series, and doing it as one of the youngest players ever to win a Masters title.
Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu made a similar case in Santiago, where his MVP performance turned Nongshim RedForce into a team nobody wanted to face.
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee finished Masters Santiago with 371 kills, more than anyone else at the event. Players who put up numbers like that are the reason the best Esports betting sites give you so many individual markets alongside the usual match lines.
Over in the Americas, the 100 Thieves pairing of Cryocells and Asuna finally turned years of near misses into a major trophy in Paris. Asuna has been with the organisation for more than five years, which made the timing hard to argue with.
What usually decides the title
Looking back at previous editions, a few things come up again and again, and none of them have much to do with who started as the favorite.
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The group stage cuts the field in half before the bracket even opens
A slow start is survivable in a regional league, though here it can end your tournament inside a week.
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The grand final is also the only best-of-five of the whole event.
A team that has spent three weeks scraping through three map series suddenly needs a fourth and a fifth in them, and that has caught out more than one favourite.
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The Map pool
Map pool matters more across three and a half weeks than it does over a single weekend, because teams get scouted properly and a short list of comfort maps becomes obvious fast. That is what our Valorant betting tips usually come down to, rather than recent results on their own.
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Regional form has never carried over cleanly either.
Evil Geniuses arrived in Los Angeles as nobody's pick and left with the trophy, while NRG rebuilt mid-season before winning in Paris, so a dominant league season counts for very little once everyone is in the same building.
Champions 2026 shortened up
Before wrapping up, we have pulled out some of the main points from the upcoming tournament.
- Sixteen teams from four different regions
- Five editions, five different winners so far
- Best-of-three matches reward the steadier teams
- New host city almost every year
- Several places unconfirmed until regional stages finish
Shanghai is still anyone's tournament
Shanghai finishes out a season that has already produced three different international winners, which tells you plenty about how close the competition is. On top of that, anyone looking at the Valorant Champions betting odds has five previous editions to go on, and not one followed the script people expected in September.
Markets are already open before the first map is played, so there is no need to wait until the groups are formed to have a look at the numbers. Ready to give it a try? Check the banners on this page to see what is available in your area.
Valorant Champions betting odds FAQs
How often does Valorant Champions take place?
Once a year, always at the end of the season, and it has taken place every year since the first edition in Berlin back in 2021.
Who won Valorant Champions last year?
NRG took the title in Paris, beating Fnatic 3-2 in the grand final. It was the first Champions win for the organisation.
How does the Champions format work?
Sixteen teams get drawn into four groups of four, with half the field going out at that stage. The teams who come through move into a playoff bracket that decides the title.
How big is the Champions 2026 prize pool?
Riot has set it at $2,250,000, the same number used across the past few editions.
Has any team won Valorant Champions twice?
YNot yet. Five editions have gone to five different organisations, and nobody has managed to defend the title since the event started in 2021.
