Riot Games has unveiled the details of its 2027 revamp of the Valorant Champions Tour, drastically opening up the circuit to non-Partnered Teams through open qualifiers.
The revamp features new tournaments and financial incentives, but not everything has changed, as Partnered Teams will continue to exist for 2027-28, but in a somewhat different form.
VCT 2027 Circuit: Qualifiers, Cups, and Global events
Riot will open up Tier 1 Valorant by introducing pathways to events through qualification from 2027 onwards. Open qualifiers will take place before Kickoff and prior to VCT Cups. According to Riot, “teams will be provided with multiple opportunities to qualify.”
Regional splits (Stage 1 & Stage 2) have been replaced by VCT Cups, now labelled as ‘Internationals’ to contrast them from qualifiers, which take place in individual countries.
Each international region (EMEA, China, Americas, Pacific) will have two Cups per year, totalling eight Cups over the four regions.
Kickoff remains for 2027-28, but is also open to qualification, with qualifiers starting in Q4 of the previous year.
The best performing teams at Kickoff and Cups will decide the qualification to VCT Masters and Champions, providing a pathway from open competition to the biggest tournaments in Valorant.
Kickoffs and Cups will be played “on a combination of Riot Studios and bespoke venues,” with a weekend event acting as the climax of the competition.
Qualifiers have no set venues, and can take many forms, including community tournaments, partner events, collegiate events, Premier, and more.
Including the two VCT Masters per year and Valorant Champions, Riot is promising 20 events across 16 cities each year.
Riot outlines financial package for 2027 events
The new circuit comes with new financial rewards for competing teams, with financial rewards stretching beyond partnered teams.
Qualification to Kickoff, Cups, Masters, and Champions will award a cash amount, with the amount doubling from Kickoff/Cups to Masters and doubling again for Champions.
Riot has also announced a $6 million package of prize pools per year associated with events, as well as funding for travel for global events, intended to enable teams to attend events.
Incentive funds for Game Changers will also be available, but have not yet been outlined.
“VCT 2027 is about reimagining how teams compete and how fans experience VALORANT esports. By shifting to a tournament-driven system with open access to our biggest events, we’re creating a more dynamic, high-stakes ecosystem where every match matters and every team has a shot at the global stage.”
Valorant partnership model survives in an altered form
As the current partnership agreements ended at the end of 2026, it was unclear whether the partnership model would persist into 2027 and beyond. We now know Partnered Teams will still exist, but in a somewhat altered form.
Another two-year partnership cycle will run from 2027-28, with Riot accepting applications from existing partnered teams and those who are not already partnered.
Partnership will confer the following benefits in that timeframe:
- Partner Base Payment: A guaranteed base payment
- Performance Bonus: A bonus for “teams that excel at partnership goals”
- Team Capsules: In-game team-themed skins
- Direct Seeding: Direct placement into later rounds in qualifiers
The majority of the partnership benefits are financial, however the last listed reward shows that there is still a competitive advantage for partnered teams.
As partnership no longer guarantees a place in regional league splits, Stage 1 and Stage 2, the placement in the Cup qualifiers gives a safety net for those partnered teams.
Riot still has plenty to unveil of its 2027-28 Valorant circuit, including dates, locations, and formats for its planned events. Insider Gaming will keep you up to date when they do.
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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