Riot Games confirmed that VALORANT Champions 2026 is set to take place in Shanghai, China. This marks the first time the country will host the coveted VALORANT World Championship. According to the official VALORANT China account, they will be returning to the city that hosted the VCT Masters 2024 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Details regarding the place and tournament timings to be revealed.
This historic event follows the major events of Berlin in 2021, Istanbul in 2022, Los Angeles in 2023, Seoul in 2024 and Paris in 2025. In the 2025 edition, 16 top teams from VALORANT Regional Leagues will compete at Les Arènes and the Accor Arena. The event will take place between September and October and crown VCT 2025 Champions.
Going forward, as per the revelation made earlier this year by Riot Games, VCT 2027 will be hosted in the Americas regions but the exact host country has yet to be revealed.
Shanghai’s Esports Momentum
Riot Games is really excited to come back to Shanghai for Masters Shanghai 2024 after the last event’s full house at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, high viewership numbers and excellent city engagement.
As per the information related to Valorant Champions 2026, China will also host the League of Legends World Championship in 2025. The cities that will be taking part are Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
Riot Games stated there will be activations in the streets of Shanghai for VALORANT Champions. The same approach was used during a few events in the country, including last year’s Mid-Season Invitational.
Riot Games confirmed that Shanghai is able to host the yearly crown jewel of the VCT calendar. Champions 2026 will not only provide top-tier VALORANT competition, but it will also highlight the enthusiastic VCT CN home crowd that has consistently backed teams like Edward Gaming, Wolves, and other emerging teams.