VALORANT Champions Shanghai Merch Collection Drops 18 September With Six Pieces
Six pieces of VALORANT Champions Shanghai merch go on sale at 10am PDT on 18 September, when Riot Games opens its official collection for the 2026 world championship on merch.riotgames.com. That’s 5am NZST on Saturday 19 September for fans in New Zealand, six days before the tournament starts.
The collection carries the “VALORANT Champions 26” name across a velour racing jacket, a FRAG OR DIE hoodie, a jersey, long and short sleeve tees, and a hat. The Riot Games Store is the only place to buy it online, stock is limited, and Riot says availability will vary by region. No prices were included in the announcement. Fans at the event can also buy limited quantities on-site in Shanghai, where Champions runs from 24 September to 18 October.
Champions Shanghai Merch Drop Time and Shipping to New Zealand
Riot confirmed a 10am PDT drop on 18 September, which works out to these local times:
| Time zone | Drop time |
|---|---|
| PDT (official) | 10am, Friday 18 September |
| NZST | 5am, Saturday 19 September |
| AEST | 3am, Saturday 19 September |
| ACST | 2:30am, Saturday 19 September |
| AWST | 1am, Saturday 19 September |
New Zealand and Australian orders are shipped from the United States, and the store estimates 8 to 14 business days for delivery once an order has shipped. Most orders leave within two to three business days, so a drop-day order is looking at roughly 10 to 17 business days in total. By that estimate, it would likely turn up in early to mid October, well after the 24 September start but before the 18 October grand final. Customs, tax, or duty fees can be added when the parcel arrives, and the store says it can’t estimate or prepay them.
Riot hasn’t broken down which regions get which items. Because availability varies by region, NZ buyers won’t know whether all six pieces are on offer locally until the store listing opens, and with limited stock and a 5am drop, anyone set on a specific size will want to be online when it goes live.
What’s in the VALORANT Champions 26 Collection
| Item | Fabric | Key details |
|---|---|---|
| Velour Racing Jacket | Custom velour, 100% nylon face with 100% polyester backing | Embroidered detailing, front zip with zip welt pockets, contrast piping at the front and shoulders, quilted lining with an interior chest pocket, snap stand collar, ribbed cuffs and hem, woven side-seam label |
| FRAG OR DIE Hoodie | 440 gsm, 100% cotton French terry | Exposed front zipper, embroidered and screen print graphics throughout, ribbed cuffs and hem, woven side-seam label |
| Jersey | 100% polyester | Embroidered patches on the left and right chest, double-sided sublimated print, screen print graphics on the centre front and back, exterior woven clip label on the left side seam |
| Long Sleeve Tee | 200 gsm, 100% cotton jersey | Puff print graphics at the front chest and back, ribbed crew neck and cuffs, woven side-seam label |
| Short Sleeve Tee | 200 gsm, 100% cotton jersey | Screen print graphics at the front chest and back, crew neckline, woven hem label |
| Hat | Custom nylon velour | Six-panel construction, metallic and 3D embroidery, adjustable strap with a metal buckle, interior clip label |
The hoodie is the heavyweight of the range. Its French terry comes in at 440 gsm (grams per square metre, the standard measure of fabric weight), which is more than double the 200 gsm cotton used for both tees, so it sits much closer to an outer layer than the tees do. The jacket and the hat are the only two pieces cut from velour, which makes them the obvious pair for anyone buying a matching set.
Read More: All VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Qualified Teams
How the Drop Compares With Masters Shanghai 2024
Riot’s last Shanghai merch release, for Masters Shanghai 2024, used the same setup: a 10am PT online drop on 16 May 2024, limited stock, availability that varied by country, and extra stock sold at the venue. That range had three items, the Thrill Unleashed Tee, the Omen Cat Dance Hat, and the Alpha Tech Hoodie.
The Champions range doubles that count, adding a jacket, a jersey, and a long sleeve tee. For a world championship rather than a mid-season Masters, a wider range is what you’d expect, and the jersey fills the one gap the 2024 drop left for fans who want something closer to matchday kit.
Buying On-Site at Jing’an Sports Center and Mercedes-Benz Arena
Anyone hoping to pick up the collection in person will find it across two venues. Champions opens at Jing’an Sports Center for the group stage and early playoffs, then moves to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong for Finals Weekend, the same arena that hosted the closing stages of Masters Shanghai 2024.
The main ticket sale for Finals Weekend opened on 16 September at 11am CST (China Standard Time), with international fans buying through MAISEAT. Tickets are issued under a real-name system and can’t be transferred or resold. International attendees have to buy with a valid passport, bring that same physical passport to the venue, and pass identity verification and facial recognition at entry.
Sixteen teams will be playing in front of those crowds, four from each of the VCT’s Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China leagues. NRG arrive as defending champions, and TYLOO, JD Gaming, EDward Gaming, and Xi Lai Gaming give China a full home contingent.
Riot hasn’t said whether any of the six pieces will return to the online store once the drop-day stock sells out.
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