Riot Games has officially announced that VALORANT Champions 2026 will take place in Shanghai, China.
The announcement was initially confirmed on the official VALORANT China account, making a return to the city that hosted VCT Masters in 2024 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. The venue and schedule of the tournament are yet to be confirmed.
This marks the first time China hosts the VALORANT World Championship, after the competition took place in Berlin (2021), Istanbul (2022), Los Angeles (2023), Seoul (2024), and Paris (2025).
The 2025 edition of Champions will see the top 16 teams across the VALORANT Regional Leagues competing at the Les Arènes and the Accor Arena between September and October to determine the VCT 2025 Champions.
Earlier last year, Riot Games also unveiled that VCT 2027 would return to the Americas, although the hosting country hasn’t been announced.
The Rise of VALORANT in China
“After the incredible success of Masters Shanghai 2024 with a packed Mercedes-Benz Arena, record-breaking viewership, and a city bursting with energy, we knew we had to come back,” said Riot Games on the official post.
Due to its massive esports following and large player base, China has always been an important market for live competitions and events. Aside from VALORANT Champions next year, China will also be hosting the 2025 League of Legends World Championship across Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
According to the post, VALORANT Champions will also include activations around the city streets of Shanghai, a practice employed by Riot Games at their recent esports events in the country, including the Mid-Season Invitational last year.
Riot Games continued: “That event proved what we had always believed: Shanghai is not just ready, it has what it takes to host the biggest annual event in the VCT calendar… Champions 2026 will deliver the highest level of VALORANT competition while once again spotlighting the passion of VCT CN’s home crowd. These are the fans who rallied behind hometown heroes like Edward Gaming, Wolves, and other rising teams.”
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