Last reviewed: 1 November 2026. This hub explains how Riot’s Valorant Champions Tour is structured. For schedules and results, use valorantesports.com; FoxyPulse does not run a live score feed or publish match previews.
The four international leagues
Top-tier Valorant is built around four international leagues run by Riot Games: Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China. Most teams in these leagues are long-term partners; additional places are earned through Ascension, the promotion tournaments that connect each region’s Challengers leagues to the international league.
The season
- Kickoff: the opening tournament in each league, which also awards places at the first Masters event.
- Masters (first event): an international tournament with teams from all four leagues.
- Stage 1 and Stage 2: league play that awards places at the second Masters and points towards Champions.
- Masters (second event): the second international tournament of the year.
- Valorant Champions: the season-ending world championship. NRG won Champions 2025 in Paris.
Exact slot counts and qualification rules can change between seasons; Riot publishes them on valorantesports.com.
Event formats
International events usually start with a group stage — often double-elimination “GSL-style” groups of four — followed by a double-elimination playoff bracket. Series are best-of-three, with best-of-five used for the deciding matches such as the grand final.
Match rules that matter
- A map is won by the first team to 13 rounds; teams swap sides after round 12. At 12–12, overtime continues until one team leads by two rounds.
- Seven maps are in the competitive pool at a time, and Riot rotates maps in and out during the year.
- In a best-of-three, teams ban and pick maps in turn and choose sides; the remaining map is the decider.
Our VCT map veto and pistol round guide explains how these rules affect common markets.
If you bet on VCT (18+)
- Double-elimination brackets let favourites recover from one loss, which affects outright prices.
- Agent and map changes between Masters events can make older results misleading.
- Check the margin on any market with our margin calculator.
Betting is for adults only and involves risk of loss. Check that it is legal where you live and see our responsible gambling page.
Sources
Riot Games announcements and rules on valorantesports.com; Liquipedia for cross-checking.