VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2: Everything you need to know

The Americas are hot and ready for more VALORANT, with VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2 set to begin on July 16. This is the final step in the race toward VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026, where the Americas will receive a total of four slots.

This edition is especially notable for two reasons:

• The top four Challenger teams will join the competition.
• The VCT Americas Finals will leave Los Angeles for the first time and head to Brazil, with São Paulo hosting the final weekend from September 4 to 6.

There is still plenty to learn about the tournament, so here is everything you need to know about the format, groups, schedule, and where to catch every moment of the action at the VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

VCT Americas Stage 2 is split into three phases: the Group Stage, the Play-Ins, and the Playoffs. Here's how each of these will work.

Group Stage

Running from July 16 to August 9, the Group Stage features two single round robin groups of six teams each, with every match played in a Bo3. Standings within each group determine each team’s path forward.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs. The first seeds will receive a Round 1 bye, while the second seeds will start in Round 1 of the Upper Bracket.

FULL SCHEDULE:

Play-Ins

Every other team will compete in the Play-Ins stage alongside the top four Challengers Americas teams in a double elimination bracket. The Challengers teams will be:

• VCL 2026 - North America: Stage 3 #1
• VCL 2026 - Brazil: Stage 2 #1
• VCL 2026 - Latin America South: Stage 2 and VCL 2026 - Latin America North: Stage 2 #1
• Last Chance Qualifier winner

These teams will face the fifth and sixth seeds from the Group Stage, and the winners will then face the third and fourth seeds. Only the last four teams standing will move on to the next phase of the competition.

Playoffs

The final phase will kick off on August 27, with the best teams from the Play-Ins facing the top teams from the Group Stage in a double elimination bracket. The final weekend of this phase will be held in Brazil, with São Paulo hosting from September 4 to 6. The final two teams will qualify for Champions Shanghai as the #1 and #2 seeds from the Americas.

Venue and ticketing

VCT Americas will be held at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the matches held in Los Angeles will be available from June 26 at 12 pm PT, 3 pm ET, and 5 pm BRT at vctamericas.tixr.com. A separate sale will be held for the finals weekend.

Where to watch

Broadcasts will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese through the following links:

English

• Twitch: /valorant_americas
• YouTube: @valorant_americas

Spanish

• Twitch: /valorant_br
• YouTube: @valesportsbr

Portuguese

• Twitch: /valorant_la
• YouTube: @valorantlatam

For all things VCT related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to bring you the latest game and esports news.