VCT Americas Stage 1: Schedule, format, and where to watch

Written By Gry Nanker Content Writer
Last UpdatedMarch 30, 2026 at 08:18AM
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After NRG came close to bringing home another trophy for the Americas at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026, the region is hungrier than ever to dominate the international stage. Three spots at Masters London are on the line, and the top teams from Kickoff are ready to prove themselves once again. VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 1 is right around the corner and here’s everything you need to know.

Schedule and Format

The twelve teams competing in Stage 1 are split into two groups. Group Alpha is stacked with big names like G2 Esports and MIBR, while Group Omega is led by Kickoff winner FURIA and reigning 2025 Champions NRG.

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The two gruops of Stage 1. Image: Riot Games.

Group Stage

The format leaves no room for error. Two single round-robin groups of six teams will play a full BO3 schedule over five weeks. Each team faces every other team in its group, with only the top four advancing to playoffs. For four of the twelve teams, the journey ends in the group stage.

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The Group Stage schedule. Image: Riot Games.

Playoffs

Playoffs follow a double-elimination bracket, where just three teams will qualify for Masters London. This is where the heat really turns up. The two finalists and the third-place team will secure tickets to London. The top four teams at Stage 1 will also earn Championship Points, giving them an edge in the race for Champions Shanghai.

Match schedule All matches are best-of-three, except for the lower final and upper final, which are best-of-fives. All the matches start at 2 pm PT time.

  • Match 1: 2 PM PT time (11 PM CEST)
  • Match 2: 5 PM PT time (2 AM CEST)

The journey begins April 10 with the group stage, followed by the playoff kickoff on May 14. The grand final takes place on May 24.

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The Playoff schedule. Image: Riot Games.

Tickets

The event will be held at the iconic Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. Tickets for Group Stage are already on sale at vctamericas.tixr.com.

Where to Watch

You can catch all the action on YouTube and Twitch. Official VCT Americas broadcasts will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

English

For more VALORANT-related news, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.

Featured image source: Riot Games.

Gry Nanker

After earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and media creation and working as a journalist for two years, Gry set her sights on her true goal: becoming an esports journalist. Although she's relatively new to esports writing, the scene itself is far from unfamiliar. After spending a few years dominating in CS:GO, she dove into VALORANT when it launched—and her passion for the game has never faded. Now, Gry is part of the content team at THESPIKEGG, where she'll conduct interviews and write a variety of articles.

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