Valorant Champions: NRG and T1 open the playoffs on Oct. 7
The group stage in Shanghai ends with no Chinese teams left; the upper-bracket quarterfinals run Oct. 7 and 8, in the small hours in Mexico City.
Eight teams remain at Valorant Champions 2026 as the group stage closes in Shanghai on Oct. 4: 100 Thieves, G2 Esports, LOUD and NRG from the Americas; Paper Rex, T1 and Nongshim RedForce from the Pacific; and Team Vitality from EMEA. The double-elimination playoffs open Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The last spots were settled over two days. Nongshim beat Karmine Corp 2-1 and G2 beat Team Liquid 2-0, both on Oct. 3. Sunday closed it out: T1 swept FUT Esports 2-0 and LOUD did the same to Global Esports, according to VLR.gg. Out are Karmine Corp, Liquid, FUT, Global Esports and all four Chinese teams, whose exit was reported in China cierra Valorant Champions en casa sin ganar una serie (in Spanish).
The upper-bracket quarterfinals, at the times VLR.gg lists for central Mexico, are NRG vs. T1 on Oct. 7 at 3 a.m. and Paper Rex vs. LOUD that same day at 6 a.m. On Oct. 8 come 100 Thieves vs. G2 at 3 a.m. and Vitality vs. Nongshim at 6 a.m. NRG enters as the defending champion.
The pairings came from a draw: group winners were randomly assigned against group runners-up, according to Hotspawn. Series are best-of-three and the final is best-of-five. The total prize pool is $2.25 million, of which the champion receives $1 million and the runner-up $400,000, according to VLR.gg.
There are no matches on Oct. 5 and 6, or from Oct. 12 to 15. Then come the upper-bracket final on the 16th, the lower-bracket final on the 17th and the grand final on the 18th, now at the Mercedes-Benz Arena; earlier rounds are played at the Jing'an Sports Center. The broadcast is on Twitch and YouTube, according to VALORANT Esports, Riot Games' page for the tournament.
Lower-bracket times have not been published yet.
