Partnered VCT 2027 teams to receive up to $5 million per year under new format

Shortly after officially announcing a big overhaul for the VCT (VALORANT Champions Tour) in 2027, Riot Games have presented the partnership application process to organizations from North America, Brazil, and the rest of Latin America.

Thanks to an exclusive report by THESPIKE Brazil, here's a look at some of the most important details regarding the new partnership application process.

The New VCT Partnership Selection Process

Over the past couple of weeks, Riot has held meetings with organizations from the VCT Americas as well as organizations who are not a part of the circuit but may be interested in applying to the partnership program. Riot used these meetings to present information on how the selection process will work, disclose what the exact benefits will be, and address any questions the organizations might have had.

Regarding the selection process itself, there will be four stages (similarly to the first franchise application held in 2022). These stages will look as follows:

• First, organizations must formalize their interest in participating by submitting a letter of intent.
• Second, teams will submit a written document containing complete information about their marketing and competitive plans, business operations, and other internal details.
• Third, Riot Games will conduct interviews with the organizations that advance to this step of the process. Due diligence will also be carried out at this stage: an analysis of the company's (organization) financial, legal, and task risks.
• Fourth, organizations will be notified whether they were selected or not and execute an announcement plan together with Riot.

Note that both franchised and non-franchised teams will have to go through the same process. The new partnership cycle will last two years starting from the 2027 season, and an announcement with all selected organizations will be made by Riot after Champions 2026.

Benefits of the Program

As far as the rewards for the new partnership cycle go, Riot stated that the annual amounts allocated to teams in North America, Latin America, and Brazil will range from $600,000 to $5 million, varying according to competitive success and skin sales. The total amount will be made up of components such as a base partnership payment, performance bonus, and team capsules.

Put simply, this means that the organization with the worst overall results in matches and skin sales will be entitled to the minimum of $600,000. Meanwhile, the organization with the best results in both categories could receive up to $5 million.

It’s worth noting that, in the announcement outlining the VCT changes for 2027, Riot stated that non-partnered teams may, “in extraordinary cases, earn even more than partnered teams at the base of the pyramid” (so, over $600,000).

Number of Slots and minimum salary Questions

How many partnership program slots will be available for each region? At first, this was the question most frequently asked by organizations. Ultimately, though, Riot chose not to reveal an exact number, explaining that this will be determined based on the approval of each organization per region.

Similarly, Riot did not disclose to organizations whether it will maintain a minimum salary for players on partnered teams, nor how this would be implemented. The company decided they first want to determine how many partners will be selected per region before addressing this issue with a more complete picture at hand.

As much as some answers may remain up in the air, one thing is for certain, 2027 will be an exciting year for VALORANT esports everywhere.

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