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VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Qualified Teams So Far

Dimas Ibnu Profile7 min read
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Qualified Teams So Far
Image Credit: Riot Games

Updated 29 August 2026: China, EMEA and Pacific now account for 10 confirmed teams at VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026. Karmine Corp and Team Liquid have completed EMEA’s four-team lineup, while Nongshim RedForce have joined Paper Rex as confirmed Pacific representatives.

The 16-team world championship runs from 24 September to 18 October in Shanghai, with four representatives coming from each of the VCT’s China, EMEA, Pacific and Americas leagues. China and EMEA have filled all four of their places, while two Pacific spots are still to be decided.

Every Qualified Team for VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026

Teams can reach Champions either by advancing to their regional Stage 2 grand final or by finishing among the two highest Championship Points teams that did not reach that final. Some teams can therefore guarantee qualification through points before their final Stage 2 route and seeding are settled.

TeamRegionQualification Status
TYLOOChinaVCT China Stage 2 winner
JD GamingChinaVCT China Stage 2 runner-up
EDward GamingChinaChampionship Points
XLG EsportsChinaChampionship Points
Karmine CorpEMEAVCT EMEA Stage 2 finalist
FUT EsportsEMEAQualified, final route pending
Team LiquidEMEAQualified, final route pending
Team VitalityEMEAChampionship Points
Paper RexPacificChampionship Points guarantee
Nongshim RedForcePacificChampionship Points guarantee

China’s Four Champions Spots Are Complete

VCT China was the first international league to complete its Champions lineup. TYLOO claimed the region’s first seed by defeating JD Gaming 3-1 in the Stage 2 grand final, sending both teams directly to Shanghai.

Both finalists reached an international VCT event for the first time after mid-season roster changes helped turn around their domestic campaigns. TYLOO went on to win the regional title, while JD Gaming secured its place by reaching the final.

EDward Gaming and XLG Esports claimed China’s two remaining positions through Championship Points. EDG finished the qualification race on 20 points, with XLG taking the other points berth on 18.

Shanghai will be EDG’s fifth consecutive Champions appearance after the organisation won the world championship in 2024. XLG, meanwhile, have reached Champions for a second successive year and will attend a fifth consecutive global VCT event after also placing fifth to sixth at Masters London.

EMEA Is Complete After Karmine Corp and Liquid Qualify

Karmine Corp and Team Liquid filled EMEA’s last two available Champions places during the Stage 2 playoffs, joining FUT Esports and Team Vitality in the region’s four-team Shanghai lineup.

KC secured the direct berth by defeating FUT 2-0 in the upper bracket final. They controlled Lotus 13-6 before taking Haven 13-8, reaching the Stage 2 grand final and automatically qualifying for Champions.

The run is a major reversal from KC’s winless Stage 1 campaign. They have now won four consecutive Stage 2 matches, and Shanghai will be the organisation’s first VALORANT Champions appearance after previously attending LOCK//IN 2023 and Masters Madrid 2024.

Team Liquid took the final EMEA berth by sweeping Fire Flux Esports 2-0 in the lower bracket. Liquid built 10-2 first-half leads on both maps, survived Fire Flux comeback attempts, and closed each map 13-10. The result guaranteed a top-three finish and five additional Championship Points, taking Liquid to 14 and securing their fourth Champions appearance.

Liquid’s exact qualification route is still to be decided. They next face FUT in the lower bracket final. The winner becomes EMEA’s second Stage 2 finalist alongside Karmine Corp, while the loser reaches Shanghai through Championship Points. Both teams are already guaranteed places regardless of that result.

Vitality hold the other secured Championship Points place on 14 points. The result leaves EMEA’s Champions roster settled before the Stage 2 tournament itself concludes on 30 August.

Nongshim RedForce Join Paper Rex From Pacific

Paper Rex were the first team worldwide to guarantee a place at Champions Shanghai. Their 25 Championship Points put them beyond the reach of the relevant Pacific rivals before Stage 2 began, following a Stage 1 title and runner-up finishes at Masters Santiago and Masters London.

Nongshim RedForce became Pacific’s second confirmed team on 27 August by defeating Gen.G 2-1 in the Stage 2 upper bracket semifinals. Nongshim won Ascent 13-8, dropped Summit 9-13, then took the deciding Sunset 13-11 to guarantee at least a third-place finish.

Before receiving their placement bonus, Nongshim sat second in the Pacific Championship Points standings with 14 points. A top-three finish adds at least five more, putting them on a minimum of 19 and guaranteeing a Champions place regardless of their remaining Stage 2 results.

The qualification extends a debut VCT season in which Nongshim won Pacific Kickoff and then claimed the Masters Santiago title. They missed Masters London, but their earlier results and Stage 2 finish supplied enough points to reach the season-ending event.

Shanghai will also bring Goo “Rb” Sang-min back to Champions for the first time since 2023, when he represented DRX. Nongshim’s other four starters will make their Champions debuts.

Two Pacific places remain available as Stage 2 continues towards its 6 September grand final. Nongshim can still reach the final themselves, which would change how their berth is classified without affecting their already guaranteed place in Shanghai.

How Teams Qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai

The 2026 qualification system divides each region’s four places between Stage 2 results and Championship Points. The two teams that reach an international league’s Stage 2 grand final qualify directly, producing eight Champions places across the four regions.

The remaining eight berths come from Championship Points. Teams collect points through Kickoff, Stage 1, Masters Santiago, Masters London and Stage 2, with additional points available from individual match wins during Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Once the two Stage 2 finalists are removed from consideration, the two highest eligible Championship Points teams in that region take the remaining places. That is why FUT and Team Liquid can both already be qualified even though their lower bracket final will still determine which one receives the direct Stage 2 route.

The Final Regional Races Run Into Early September

EMEA’s four representatives are fixed even though its Stage 2 champion has not yet been decided. Karmine Corp await the winner of FUT against Team Liquid in the grand final, with the remaining matches determining seeding and qualification classification rather than who travels to Shanghai.

Pacific Stage 2 is still underway, with Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce holding confirmed places and two regional berths remaining. Pacific and Americas are both scheduled to stage their grand finals on 6 September.

Champions Shanghai Runs From 24 September To 18 October

VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 will feature 16 teams and a total prize pool of $2.25 million USD, with $1 million USD allocated to the eventual world champions.

The teams will be divided into four groups of four, with one representative from each VCT region placed in every group. Matches use a GSL-style double-elimination format and are played as best-of-three series, with the top two teams from each group advancing.

The resulting eight-team playoffs also use a double-elimination bracket. Matches remain best-of-three until the grand final, which will be played as a best-of-five.

Shanghai is hosting VALORANT Champions for the first time after previously staging Masters Shanghai in 2024, won by Gen.G. The 2026 tournament will also be the final Champions under the current VCT structure before the circuit moves towards a more open format in 2027.

The next major qualification decisions will come from the remaining Pacific and Americas races through 6 September, before VALORANT Champions Shanghai begins on 24 September.

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