VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff: Triple Elimination Format
The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA 2026 Kickoff event has kicked off at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. Here, twelve of the best teams are battling it out. They are competing in a brand-new triple elimination format, all aiming to secure one of the three available spots for Masters Santiago.
This exciting tournament runs from January 20th to February 15th. Already, we’ve seen some surprising results. Teams that were expected to do well, like Fnatic, Team Liquid, Team Heretics, and GIANTX, have faced early setbacks. This has opened the door for teams such as Natus Vincere, Gentle Mates, BBL Esports, and Team Vitality, who are currently leading the pack in the upper bracket without any losses.
Triple Elimination Format Ushers in a New Era
For the 2026 season, the Kickoff tournament is introducing a triple elimination bracket. This means each team gets three chances before they are completely out of the running. They start in the upper bracket, then move to the middle bracket if they lose once, and finally to the lower bracket after a second loss. Unlike older tournament styles, there will be three separate grand finals matches. These will be for the upper, middle, and lower brackets, and all will be played as best-of-five series. The winner of each of these grand finals will earn a spot at Masters Santiago. All other matches throughout the tournament will be played as best-of-three series.
Teams are also competing for Championship Points. The team that finishes in 1st place gets 4 points, 2nd place gets 3 points, 3rd place gets 2 points, and 4th place gets 1 point. The two teams with the most points at the end of the season will qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai.
The twelve teams competing in this event include ten organizations that are partnered with the VCT and two teams that won their way through the Ascension tournaments. These Ascension winners are PCIFIC Esports and ULF Esports.
The partnered teams are:
- Fnatic
- Team Liquid
- GIANTX
- Team Heretics
- KOI / FUT Esports
- Team Vitality
- BBL Esports
- Gentle Mates
- Natus Vincere
- Karmine Corp
The teams that qualified through Ascension are:
- PCIFIC Esports
Current Bracket Highlights and Results
The first week of the tournament saw some major surprises in the upper bracket rounds:
- On January 20th, Natus Vincere defeated Karmine Corp with a score of 2-0.
- Also on January 20th, Gentle Mates beat FUT Esports 2-0.
- On January 21st, BBL Esports won against PCIFIC Esports 2-1.
- Team Vitality secured a 2-0 victory over ULF Esports on January 21st.
- Natus Vincere narrowly beat Team Heretics 2-1 on January 22nd.
- Gentle Mates continued their strong run by defeating GIANTX 2-0 on January 22nd.
- BBL Esports caused an upset by beating Fnatic 2-0 on January 23rd.
- Team Vitality won a close match against Team Liquid, 2-1, on January 23rd.
Currently, the teams that are still undefeated with a 2-0 record are Natus Vincere, Gentle Mates, BBL Esports, and Team Vitality. Some important matches to look forward to in the coming days (all times are GMT):
- January 27th: Team Liquid will play Karmine Corp at 11 am, and Fnatic will face FUT Esports at 2 pm.
- January 28th: GIANTX will compete against PCIFIC Esports at 11 am, and Team Heretics will play ULF Esports at 2 pm.
- January 29th: The upper bracket semi-finals will feature Gentle Mates against Natus Vincere at 11 am, followed by Team Vitality versus BBL Esports at 2 pm.
The final matches of the bracket, where the Masters Santiago spots will be decided, are scheduled for Week 4, from February 13th to 15th.
How to Watch and Attend
You can watch all the exciting matches live on the official VCT EMEA Twitch and YouTube channels. Many popular content creators will also be hosting co-streams. If you’re in Berlin and want to experience the action live, tickets for the arena are still available on the official website. Prices range from €10 to €20.
