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Valorant Champions 2026: The Shanghai Playoff Bracket
Eight teams are left at Valorant Champions 2026 in Shanghai, with the playoffs running from 7 to 18 October. Here is the bracket, the format, the defending champion, how to approach the betting markets and where to watch.
Written by: Elin Varga·Checked by: Maren Holt·Updated:
Valorant Champions is the last and biggest event of the Valorant season. The 2026 edition started in Shanghai on 24 September with sixteen teams and a $2.25 million prize pool. Eight are left for the playoffs, from 7 to 18 October, and four of them come from the Americas.
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The playoff teams
| Team | Region | Group |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Thieves | Americas | A |
| T1 | Pacific | A |
| Team Vitality | EMEA | B |
| LOUD | Americas | B |
| Paper Rex | Pacific | C |
| G2 Esports | Americas | C |
| NRG | Americas | D |
| Nongshim RedForce | Pacific | D |
NRG won Champions in 2025 and return as defending champions. Team Vitality is the only EMEA team left.
The bracket
The playoffs are a double-elimination bracket. The opening upper-bracket matches are:
- 100 Thieves vs G2 Esports
- Team Vitality vs Nongshim RedForce
- NRG vs T1
- Paper Rex vs LOUD
Every series is best-of-three except the lower bracket final and the grand final, which are best-of-five. Earlier rounds are played at the Jing'an Sports Center; the top four and the grand final move to the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
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How to bet on the playoffs
Double elimination changes outright prices. A team that loses its first match is not out, so outright odds fall less after an upper-bracket defeat than in a single-elimination event. Lower-bracket runs are common in Valorant.
Two all-Americas openers. 100 Thieves against G2 and NRG against T1 put regional familiarity on one side and cross-region uncertainty on the other. Teams that have played each other all season in the Americas league leave less to guess.
Map veto first. Map markets open once the veto is known. A team's record on the remaining maps is the best single guide.
Best-of-five finals. The lower bracket final and the grand final reward depth of map pool. A team strong on three maps is more exposed over five than over three.
Expected prices in our match previews are estimates of where sportsbooks will open, labelled as such.
SportsbookSportsbook and casino in one accountOpen sportsbook18+ · read the terms before your first depositWhich sites let you bet on this before any document check is set out in our guide to betting sites without KYC.
Related pages: CS2 Major 2026 and BLAST Slam IX.
Where to watch
Riot streams every Champions match free on the official VALORANT Champions Tour channels on Twitch and YouTube, with co-streams in many languages. Some betting sites also show selected matches inside the account to signed-in players; coverage differs from site to site.
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More on Valorant
The game, its markets and what moves its prices are covered on the Valorant betting page. The rest of the autumn calendar is on the esports betting hub.
When are the Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs?
From 7 to 18 October 2026 in Shanghai. The event began on 24 September with sixteen teams.
Who is in the Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs?
100 Thieves, T1, Team Vitality, LOUD, Paper Rex, G2 Esports, NRG and Nongshim RedForce.
Who won Valorant Champions 2025?
NRG, who are back in the 2026 playoffs as defending champions.
Where is the Valorant Champions 2026 final?
The top four and the grand final are played at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai; earlier matches were at the Jing'an Sports Center.
What is the prize pool?
$2.25 million across the sixteen teams.