North American invited teams for VCT 2027 Kickoff qualifier revealed: Cloud9, Shopify enter the fray
Several of North America’s best-known VALORANT organizations will get another shot at the top tier after missing out on partnership for the VCT 2027. Riot Games have officially announced the eight invited teams to the North America Qualifier Playoffs, the route into VCT Americas Kickoff 2027.
It's worth noting that a direct invite is not a ticket to Kickoff; it places a team in the 16-team playoff field late into the region's Kickoff Qualifier instead. That being said, the eight invited teams to the North America Kickoff Qualifier Playoffs are:
- Cloud9
- ENVY
- Shopify Rebellion Black
- SaD Esports
- YFP X
- QoR
- Shopify Rebellion Gold
- Shopify Rebellion Black
According to Riot, invitations where extended to three groups:
- Former VCT teams that didn’t earn a 2027-2028 partnership slot
- Top Challengers teams
- Top Game Changers teams
Shopify Rebellion is the only organization with two entries. Its Black roster played in Challengers North America, while Gold comes from the Game Changers scene, where the team was able to claim the VALORANT Game Changers 2026 - North America Stage 2 title in September.
The Road to VCT 2027 Americas Kickoff
Before invited teams enter the fray, two open qualifiers will take place on November 5-8 and November 12-15, and at least four teams will advance from each. Invited teams get to skip both events and join the qualifiers’ survivors for a 16-team Swiss Stage on November 20-22, where two wins are enough to advance.
The top eight teams then move to a double-elimination bracket running December 1-6. The winner takes North America’s direct slot at VCT Americas Kickoff 2027 in São Paulo, Brazil. The runner-up, meanwhile, will head to the Americas Last Chance Qualifier on December 17-18, facing the second-place teams from Brazil and Latin America for the final Kickoff berth.
Both North American finalists also qualify for the Red Bull Home Ground World Finals, set to be held on December 10-13 in Los Angeles.
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: Riot Games
A lover of video games through and through, his passion for games began at an early age when he fell in love The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. After honing his skills with years of practice, Martin competed at a semi-professional level in World of Warcraft, both in PvE and PvP. He now enjoys all things esports, from VALORANT and Counter-Strike to League of Legends and StarCraft II. A writer at heart, Martin majored in English Literature before finding that the best way to combine his two passions was to start writing about video games. Also happens to be a bit of a sucker for stats and traditional sports. Martin currently works as an editor and writer for Strafe Esports, while also writing for TheSpike when he has the chance.
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