All VALORANT teams qualified for Champions Shanghai 2026

The sixth iteration of the VALORANT Champions world championship is heading to Shanghai, China, and will run September 24 to October 18, 2026. Marking the first time China will host the crown jewel of the VALORANT Champions Tour, the tournament features a massive $2.25 million USD prize pool with a whopping $1 million allocated to the winning team.

A total of 16 elite teams—four from each of the international leagues: Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China—will battle for glory. However, the regional qualification landscape is vastly different across the globe. Now that all four regional leagues have finally come to an end, we have the 16 teams, along with the seeding, on who will be going to Shanghai.

Below is the definitive list of all teams qualified to VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026.

VCT China

VCT China is the first international league to finalize its entire delegation of four teams for Champions.

Four Chinese teams have locked in their VALORANT Champions Shanghai spots.

• TYLOO claimed the top seed after a historic mid-season turnaround led by IGL Pong "SiuFatBB" Ka Hei, defeating JD Gaming 3-1 in the Stage 2 Grand Final.
• Despite a rough start, runner-up JD Gaming also secured their first international appearance.
• Former world champions EDward Gaming qualified early via Championship Points following their Stage 1 title and third-place finish at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters London 2026.
• Joining them are XLG Esports, who earned their second consecutive Champions slot through Championship Points after placing top-six in London.

VCT Pacific

With the VCT Pacific Stage 2 playoffs running from August 27 to September 6, three of the region’s four spots remain empty as teams battle for the final regional slots. However, the region's first seed was claimed months ago.

• Singaporean powerhouse Paper Rex became the first team globally to secure a Champions spot. Their runner-up finishes at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 as well as London, along with their VCT Pacific 2026 Stage 1 title, locked in their qualification via Championship Points before Stage 2 even started.
• Nongshim RedForce secured VCT Pacific's second Shanghai spot via points after a thrilling 2-1 victory over Gen.G Esports. The Masters Santiago champions are returning to the international stage, featuring veteran IGL Goo "Rb" Sang-Min, who makes his return to the Champions stage for the first time in three years.
• The third slot from Pacific was taken by T1 on points, as Nongshim RedForce beat Global Esports to get to the grand finals of VCT Pacific 2026 Stage 2, thereby opening up their points slot.
• The final Pacific spot has been claimed by Global Esports, who will be going forward on points, thanks to T1's 2-0 win over VARREL.

With Global Esports being crowned as champions for Stage 2, they will move ahead to Champions Shanghai as the first seed, followed by Nongshim, Paper Rex and T1.

VCT EMEA

The EMEA circuit has delivered massive surprises, most notably the shocking exit of Fnatic, who will miss Champions for the first time in history. Now that the EMEA circuit has come to an end, all four teams going to Shanghai have now been finalized along with the seeding.

• Turkish powerhouse FUT booked their third consecutive Champions appearance thanks to strong finishes in Stage 1 and Masters London.
• Team Vitality locked their spot following BBL Esports' elimination, bringing massive international experience with former Fnatic stars Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev and Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov.
• Karmine Corp are the third team from EMEA to book their tickets to Shanghai after an incredible playoffs run. They secured their spot in the Grand Finals after a dominant 2-0 win against already qualified team FUT.
• With Team Liquid's victory over Fire Flux Esports in the Lower Bracket semifinals, they have mathematically secured the final EMEA spot for Champions Shanghai.

With Karmine Corp winning VCT EMEA 2026 Stage 2, they have taken the top seed from the region, followed by runner-up Team Liquid.

VCT Americas

The Americas league remains largely undecided, with two slots open as VCT Americas Stage 2 continues toward it's conclusion on September 6. For the time being, reigning world champions NRG, and G2 Esports have confirmed their presence in Shanghai. The top two finishers from the Stage 2 playoffs will qualify directly, joined by the top two eligible point-earners from the regional Championship Points standings.

• Reigning World Champions NRG have secured their spot at champs via Championship Points after a hard-fought 2-1 win against LOUD, which put them in the top 4 and gave them a 4 point boost in the standings.
• After an incredible 2-1 showing against Masters London winners Leviatán, G2 have secured their spot in Shanghai via points.
• The first grand finalist of VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2 is 100 Thieves. The North American organization has secured their Champions berth for the first time since Champions 2022, before the franchising era started.
• LOUD have taken the final spot from the Americas after they beat NRG in a hard-fought lower bracket finals to secure their spot in the grand finals.

With a massive $2.25 million USD prize pool on the line and the final chapter of VCT's franchise era drawing to a close, the qualified teams are primed to make history. With all the slots now locked in, and the fans been given a taste of what they can expect on the ultimate stage, we are moving towards one of the most thrilling conclusions VALORANT has ever seen.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

Featured Image Source: Zhou Xian/Riot Games