VCT Americas Kickoff 2026: Triple Elim Format, Schedule & Teams Revealed
Riot Games has unveiled full details for VCT Americas Kickoff 2026, the region’s season opener running from January 15 to February 15 at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles.
This triple elimination event features 12 teams vying for the top three spots at Masters Santiago (February 28–March 15) and Championship Points toward VALORANT Champions Shanghai: 1st (4 pts), 2nd (3 pts), 3rd (2 pts), 4th (1 pt).
Tickets for live attendance go on sale on December 19 at 8 PM BST via Tixr.
Format Breakdown
- Triple elimination bracket with Upper, Middle, and Lower Brackets.
- All matches BO3, except BO5 Grand Finals for each bracket’s winner (top 3 advance to Masters).
- NRG (Champions 2025 winners), MIBR, Sentinels, and G2 Esports get byes into Upper Bracket Round 2.
- The three bracket winners secure Masters seeds, 4th place via Lower Bracket loser’s matchup.
Schedule Highlights
Event spans five weeks, with matchdays starting at 2 PM PT / 10 PM BST.
- Week 1 (Jan 15–18): Upper Bracket R1 & R2Jan 15: ENVY vs. Evil Geniuses | LOUD vs. Cloud9
- Jan 16: KRÜ Esports vs. FURIA | 100 Thieves vs. Leviatán
- Week 5 (Feb 13–15): Upper, Middle, & Lower Bracket Finals (BO5s).
Competing Teams
10 partner teams hold slots through 2027, joined by two Ascension winners:
- 100 Thieves
- Cloud9
- Evil Geniuses
- FURIA
- KRÜ Esports
- Leviatán
- LOUD
- MIBR (bye)
- NRG (Champions 2025 winners, bye)
- Sentinels (bye)
- G2 Esports (Ascension 2023 champs, bye)
- ENVY (Ascension 2025 winners)
How To Watch
Fans eager to catch all the action from VCT Americas Kickoff 2026 can tune in across multiple official broadcasts tailored to different languages.
The primary English stream will be available on Twitch and YouTube via the VALORANT Americas channels (@valorant_americas on Twitch, search “VALORANT Americas” on YouTube).
For Portuguese-speaking viewers, head to the dedicated VALEsportsBR channels (@valorant_br on Twitch). Spanish broadcasts will run on VALORANT Latam channels (@valorant_la on Twitch).
All matches start at 2 PM PT / 10 PM BST, running from January 15 to February 15.
Additionally, co-streaming applications are open for creators in North America, LATAM, Brazil, and globally, allowing popular personalities to host watch parties and provide their own commentary.
Since: October 29, 2025
