VCT Champions Returns to Seoul for 2026 — The Format Shifts

Riot confirmed VCT Champions 2026 returns to Seoul for the first time since 2024, with a format that meaningfully changes the path to the trophy.

The headline change: Champions expands from 14 teams to 16 in 2026, with the additional two slots going to one extra Pacific team and one extra Americas team — the LCQ system gets compressed to compensate. The full 16-team field plays a double-elimination bracket from group stage onward.

Venue-wise, group stage runs at Inspire Arena (8,000-seat) for the first ten days, then playoffs and grand finals move to the Gocheok Sky Dome — the 17,000-seat baseball stadium that hosted Champions 2022 and produced the highest peak-viewership Valorant event of all time.

For the competitive picture, the format shift advantages teams with bracket-pressure depth. Pacific teams in particular are well-positioned: T1 (assuming the current rebuild stabilises), DRX (current Pacific Stage 1 leaders), and Gen.G all have real cases for top-four placement.