Valorant Champions 2026: bracket, schedule and every roster heading to Seoul

Sixteen teams, one trophy. The Arcade Porch esports desk breaks down the groups and the three upsets we expect. This is the Arcade Porch esports desk’s full preview — the format, the teams and the three storylines we will be following from the first match.

Format and schedule

Sixteen teams enter, split into four groups of four in a double-elimination group stage. The top two from each group advance to an eight-team single-elimination bracket; every playoff match is best-of-three until the grand final, which is best-of-five. The opening day runs from mid-afternoon to late evening local time, with the final scheduled for the Sunday.

The teams to watch

The favourites are the favourites for a reason: the deepest map pool, the most settled roster and a coach who has won here before. Behind them sits a cluster of four teams separated by almost nothing in the Arcade Porch power rankings. The dark horse is the team that qualified last, through the play-ins, with a stand-in who has quietly posted the best rating of the qualifying stage.

Grand finals are won on the third map. Everything before that is information.

The storylines

• Can the defending champions handle being the hunted for the first time?
• The roster that broke up in spring now meets in the group stage.
• A veteran in-game leader’s final event before coaching — he has said as much.

Follow the Arcade Porch esports desk on X for live bracket updates; the full results page will be updated after every series.