VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai: Team Field and Group Draw

On September 24, Riot Games officially announced the 16 teams competing in VALORANT Champions 2026 – the annual world championship of the tactical shooter, held in Shanghai, China. The group draw was conducted immediately after, revealing four extremely balanced groups, each featuring representatives from all four regions: Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China. The qualification slots were determined based on Stage 2 regional results and Championship Points. Specifically, each region contributes four teams: the top two from Stage 2 and the two with the highest remaining points. Thus, a total of 16 slots are evenly distributed among the four regions, with no wildcards or last-chance qualifiers – a rare balance in high-level esports tournaments. Group A: 100 Thieves (Americas) – recent Esports World Cup 2026 champion and Americas Stage 2 champion; FUT Esports (EMEA); T1 (Pacific); JD Gaming (China). This group is considered the strongest, bringing together three teams that have won regional or international titles this year. Group B: LOUD (Americas) – a team with strong international pedigree; Team Vitality (EMEA) – the fourth seed from EMEA; Global Esports (Pacific) – Pacific Stage 2 champion; EDward Gaming (China) – a roster filled with star power. Vitality's presence as the lowest EMEA seed makes this group more unpredictable. Group C: G2 (Americas); Team Liquid (EMEA) – a team that has repeatedly clashed with Paper Rex; Paper Rex (Pacific) – described as a team that can end any run on any given day; TYLOO (China) – China Stage 2 champion with a home-region edge. Group C could see many surprises as both Paper Rex and TYLOO have inconsistent form. Group D: NRG (Americas); Karmine Corp (EMEA); Nongshim RedForce (Pacific); Xi Lai Gaming (China). All three of NRG, Karmine Corp, and Nongshim RedForce are considered title contenders by international media, while Xi Lai Gaming is a wildcard that could cause an upset if they find their form. Regarding the tournament format, the group stage selects the top two from each group to advance to the playoffs. The playoffs adopt a double-elimination system, with all matches being BO3 except for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final, which are BO5. There is no bracket reset, meaning the team coming from the lower bracket has a single chance in the final BO5. This favors strong teams with depth but also allows momentum-carrying lower bracket teams to rise. Notably, the winner's prize is $1,000,000 USD along with the prestigious Champions trophy. The total prize pool has not been announced, but based on previous years, it typically ranges in the low millions of dollars. In addition to this year's tournament information, Riot Games also attracted attention by announcing the Open Qualifiers system for VCT 2027, scheduled to begin in November 2026. This is considered a strategic turning point as the organizers open a direct path to Champions for all teams, unrestricted by partnership or regional systems. This message was delivered alongside the Champions 2026 team announcement, showing Riot's intent to balance the closed-circuit peak with expanded opportunities. Based on previous Champions history, the lack of information about the current patch and meta is a significant gap. Without data on the agent pool, map pool, or competitive version, predicting results becomes difficult. However, Champions 2026 is the final event of the season, so the meta is likely the most stable version, favoring teams with deep and flexible pools. Teams will have about two months to prepare for the tournament, expected to take place in late November or early December 2026. Vietnamese fans can follow the matches live via Riot Games' official streaming platforms. With the participation of names like 100 Thieves, Paper Rex, Karmine Corp, and the return of LOUD, this year's Champions promises to be one of the most exciting ever. In conclusion: Champions 2026 is not just about finding the world champion, but also a signal that the VALORANT ecosystem is maturing – where regional balance, fair formats, and expanded opportunities are gradually reshaping the global esports landscape.