Riot Games Announces First VCT 2027 Open Qualifiers to Begin in November

Riot Games has officially announced that the Open Qualifiers for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2027 season will commence this November. Earlier in the year, the publisher revealed that the VCT 2027 structure will transition to open circuits, allowing any team an opportunity to qualify alongside established partnered franchises. These upcoming November qualifiers will serve directly to determine the final teams advancing into next year's Kickoff tournaments.

According to the announcement, the VCT Americas, VCT EMEA, and VCT Pacific Kickoff events will each feature a total of 12 teams. This lineup will consist of eight partner teams alongside four teams advancing through the new Open Qualifiers. Meanwhile, specific details regarding VCT CN will be released by Riot Games at a later date. These regional open qualifiers mark a substantial pathway for open and amateur teams to enter the top-tier Valorant ecosystem, with qualification routes leading onward to Cups, Masters, and Champions events.

To support non-partnered competitors, Riot will introduce financial assistance starting in 2027 through fixed qualification payments, which will be provided on top of any regular prize pool earnings. Throughout the 2027 competitive season, multiple Open Qualifiers will run to offer continuous chances to reach Cups, which have replaced the traditional regular season. Furthermore, open and creator-led rosters that manage to retain at least three of their five players will be permitted to maintain their accumulated competitive progress over the course of the season.

The upcoming regional Open Qualifiers will span across 16 different territories distributed across four primary regions. The VCT Americas division will host brackets for North America, Latin America North, Latin America South, and Brazil. The VCT EMEA division features brackets for Europe, Türkiye, and MENA. The VCT Pacific division includes South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Southeast Asia encompassing the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and other regional areas, South Asia, and Oceania.