VCT 2027: All 32 Partner Teams Revealed, New Format, Open Qualifiers, and Everything You Need to Know
The VALORANT Champions Tour is entering a new era. Riot Games has confirmed all 32 VCT 2027 partner teams across four regions, replacing the established league structure with a more open, tournament-based circuit that gives non-partner teams a genuine path to the international stage for the first time.
The 2027 season introduces expanded Open Qualifiers, new financial incentives for qualifying teams, and a fresh commercial identity with Ghost team capsules replacing the Classic skins that defined the previous partnership era. Here is everything you need to know.
All 32 VCT 2027 Partner Teams
The new partnership cycle covers 2027 to 2028, with eight organisations selected per region. Partner status provides organisational support and commercial benefits — but no longer guarantees qualification for every international tournament.
VCT Americas
LOUD
G2 Esports
NRG
Sentinels
KRÜ Esports
LEVIATÁN
MIBR
100 Thieves
VCT EMEA
Team Heretics
BBL Esports
Fnatic
Team Vitality
Team Liquid
Gentle Mates
Karmine Corp
FUT Esports
VCT Pacific
Rex Regum Qeon
FULL SENSE
T1
Paper Rex
Crazy Raccoon
ZETA DIVISION
Gen.G
GAM Esports
VCT China
Xi Lai Gaming
Weibo Gaming
EDward Gaming
TYLOO
All Gamers
Trace Esports
Bilibili Gaming
JD Gaming
How the VCT 2027 Format Works
The VCT 2027 season places far greater emphasis on competitive results over partner status. With more than 50 tournaments planned throughout the year, Riot is creating more opportunities for non-partner teams while raising the stakes for established organisations.
Kickoff
In Americas, EMEA, and Pacific, Kickoff features 12 teams: eight VCT 2027 partner teams and four teams advancing through Open Qualifiers. The top three teams from Kickoff qualify for the first Masters event. China follows a different structure featuring eight partner teams, two visitor teams, and two teams from Open Qualifiers.
The Critical Change: No More Guaranteed Participation
Partner status provides an initial advantage at Kickoff — but that is where the guarantee ends. Subsequent regional Cups offer no automatic entry for partner teams. Organisations that underperform risk elimination and may need to return through Open Qualifiers to earn their place back in the circuit. This is the most significant structural change of the VCT 2027 era — partnership is a foundation, not a safety net.
Open Qualifier Financial Incentives
Non-partner teams that reach major stages will receive fixed qualification payments:
Kickoff or regional Cup qualification: $100,000 USD
Masters qualification: $200,000 USD
Champions qualification: $400,000 USD
VCT 2027 Americas: Sustaining International Success
The Americas enter VCT 2027 with eight partner teams — Sentinels, NRG, G2 Esports, 100 Thieves, LOUD, MIBR, KRÜ Esports, and LEVIATÁN — fresh from LOUD’s second world championship at Champions Shanghai 2026.
Four additional Kickoff spots are available through Open Qualifiers spanning North America, Brazil, and Latin America. North America and Brazil each host two Open Qualifiers, with top four teams advancing to regional playoffs where the winner earns Kickoff qualification. Latin America runs separate North and South qualifiers feeding into a LATAM Qualifier Final. The Americas Last Chance Qualifier provides one final pathway for eligible teams.
The region’s challenge in 2027 is clear: maintain its title-winning momentum while managing a more open competitive environment where non-partner challengers have more chances than ever before.
VCT 2027 EMEA: Adapting to the New Structure
EMEA’s VCT 2027 partner teams — Fnatic, Team Liquid, Team Heretics, Team Vitality, BBL Esports, Karmine Corp, Gentle Mates, and FUT Esports — enter the new era with four additional Kickoff spots available through Open Qualifiers across Europe, Türkiye, and MENA.
Europe hosts two Open Qualifiers, with the top four from each advancing to the Europe Qualifier Playoffs, where the top two earn Kickoff spots. Türkiye has its own qualification pathway culminating in a playoff awarding one Kickoff spot. MENA runs separate Middle East and North Africa qualifiers before a final decider determines its representative.
EMEA’s historical strength — tactical depth, international experience, and a broad talent pool — gives it a strong base for VCT 2027. The expanded qualification system now offers emerging teams a clearer direct route to challenge established partner organisations from day one.
VCT 2027 Pacific: Expanding Regional Representation
Pacific’s VCT 2027 partner teams bring two significant new additions to the lineup: Crazy Raccoon from Japan and GAM Esports from Vietnam — two organisations new to the partner system that expand the region’s representation beyond its established competitive core.
Crazy Raccoon’s entry gives Japan’s VALORANT ecosystem another major partner organisation to build around. GAM Esports’ inclusion is equally notable — the organisation, best known for its League of Legends achievements, extends its esports footprint into VALORANT and gives Vietnamese fans a dedicated partner-team representative for the first time.
Open Qualifiers across South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania provide entry points for teams outside the partner lineup throughout the VCT 2027 season. Pacific’s direction is the most ambitious of any region: broaden representation, connect domestic scenes to the international circuit, and turn regional diversity into genuine competitive depth.
VCT 2027 China: Balancing Stability and Competition
China’s eight VCT 2027 partner teams — Xi Lai Gaming, Weibo Gaming, EDward Gaming, TYLOO, All Gamers, Trace Esports, Bilibili Gaming, and JD Gaming — are joined by a unique qualification structure that creates four additional league spots for non-partner teams.
VCT Threshold China 2026 (October 21 to November 1) will award two places in VCT China 2027, while two additional slots are available through Open Qualifiers. This gives organisations outside the permanent partner lineup multiple competitive routes into the top-tier ecosystem.
China’s broader challenge for VCT 2027 is translating a growing domestic scene into consistent international performances. The balance between permanent partnerships and competitive qualification opportunities is designed to maintain stability while creating genuine pressure on established organisations from new challengers.
Ghost Team Capsules: The New Commercial Identity
The VCT 2027 season introduces a new team capsule featuring Ghost skins instead of the Classic skins that defined the previous partnership era. Every VCT 2027 partner team will have a Ghost capsule, refreshing one of the VCT ecosystem’s most recognisable in-game offerings and giving fans a new way to support their organisations.
What VCT 2027 Means for VALORANT Esports
The VCT 2027 partner teams announcement marks the beginning of the most significant structural shift in VALORANT esports history. For the first time, any team in the world with the results to back it up has a genuine, financially supported path to competing on the same stage as the game’s biggest organisations.
Partnership in 2027 is a foundation. What teams build on it will be decided entirely on the server.
