VCT China 2026 Stage 1: Schedule, format, and where to watch

China kicks off the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - China Stage 1 season first among all regions, with matches beginning on March 31. After a turbulent showing at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 where all three Chinese representatives were eliminated without advancing past 5th-6th place, the region has a point to prove. Three spots at Masters London are up for grabs, and with Champions Shanghai looming on the horizon later this year, the stakes for China have never been higher. Here's everything you need to know:

Schedule and Format

The twelve teams competing in Stage 1 are split into two groups based on seeding pools drawn from their VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - China Kickoff results. Group Alpha is headlined by Kickoff champion All Gamers alongside Bilibili Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix, while Group Omega features Santiago representatives XLG Esports and EDward Gaming along with dark horses Dragon Ranger Gaming and Wolves Esports.

Group Stage

The group stage follows a single round-robin format across two groups of six, with every match being a best-of-three. The top four teams from each group will advance, while the bottom two in each group are eliminated. With how volatile VCT China has been recently, every single series carries weight.

The group stage is held at the West Lake Gymnasium in Hangzhou, running from March 31 through April 19.

Ranking Matches

Here's where VCT China differs from other regions. After the group stage, the eight advancing teams enter a Ranking Matches phase. Teams that finished in the same position across both groups face off in a single BO3 to determine their exact playoff seeding. For instance, the 1st-place team from Group Alpha plays the 1st-place team from Group Omega, and so on for each placement. These cross-group duels lock in the final regular season standings and playoff bracket seeding.

Playoffs

Playoffs follow a double-elimination bracket, with three spots at Masters London on the line. All matches are best-of-three, except for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final, which are best-of-fives.

The top three teams at Stage 1 will earn their tickets to London, while the top four finishers will also receive Championship Points for the race to Champions Shanghai later in the year. The playoffs are set to take place in Beijing.

Championship Points

Here's the distribution of Championship points at VCT China Stage 1 2026:

• 1st place: 6 points
• 2nd place: 4 points
• 3rd place: 3 points
• 4th place: 1 point

Where to Watch

VCT China Stage 1 will be broadcast in Mandarin on the region's official channels and across major Chinese streaming platforms.

Official stream:

• Bilibili - VCT China Official

International (Mandarin):

• YouTube - @valorant_cn
• Twitch - /valorant_cn

Note that there is no official English broadcast for VCT China. English-speaking fans will need to tune into community co-streams for coverage.

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Featured image source: Riot Games.