TL;DR:  

• Challenger Leagues will continue with a three stage seasonal format.

• All leagues will be hosting a Kickoff tournament as part of Stage 1

• Select VCT teams that miss out on Masters Santiago to compete against top Challenger teams as part of VALORANT EMEA Clash.

• Four Challenger EMEA teams can qualify for VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins, the first step towards Champions, with the final slot awarded through a Last Chance Qualifier.

• New Game Changers Circuit includes Cash Cups, which offer promotion into GC EMEA Stage 3 Play-Ins.

The 2026 VALORANT EMEA season kicks off after the turn of the year, and there’s a lot to look forward to. We’ll see brand new tournaments for both VALORANT EMEA Challengers and Game Changers, and multiple pathways leading to VCT EMEA Stage 2 Playoffs, and potentially Champions.

Challengers Leagues will maintain a three stage seasonal format, but with more twists along the way. The season opens with Kickoff-style tournaments, where teams work towards qualifying for Challengers EMEA Stage 1 and the brand-new tournament: VALORANT EMEA Clash. 

Later in the year, we’ll also be offering Challenger teams multiple pathways into VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins, which could take our top Challenger teams all the way to the first-ever VCT EMEA destination event and Champions Shanghai!

For Game Changers EMEA, we’re introducing more opportunities to compete with a mix of regional events and monthly online Cash Cups offering points and prize pools.

Here’s everything you need to know about Challengers, Game Changers, and Premier for the 2026 VALORANT EMEA season.

Introducing VALORANT EMEA Clash

We’re jumping straight into the action with Kickoff-style tournaments for all of our teams. EMEA’s regional Challenger Leagues start as early as January 5 next year and can run up until February 12. Each Challenger League can set their own dates and formats, so stay connected with your local tournament organisers for updates.

While the Challenger Leagues are getting underway, VCT EMEA Kickoff will be happening in parallel. 

VCT EMEA teams that miss out on Masters qualification will get the opportunity to compete against the strongest Challenger League squads via our all-new, VALORANT EMEA Clash.

The tournament will take place between February 16-26 for multiple days of spicy matchups, and if Project Blender was anything to go by, plenty of potential upsets. We hope this provides fans the perfect sweet spot between the end of Kickoff and the beginning of Masters Santiago, filling the VALORANT void while we eagerly await the first international competition of the year.

This will be the first time in the year Challenger EMEA teams get to go up against VCT EMEA teams, experience that will prove invaluable later in the season for those teams that ascend into Stage 2. The event will shine a spotlight on some of the region’s most promising young talents and give VCT teams a chance to bounce back ahead of Stage 1.

Challengers EMEA tournaments 2026

Our top regional teams will once again have the chance to compete against one another with the return of Challengers EMEA tournaments. 

The dates for the three tournaments are:

• Challengers EMEA Stage 1: March 16 - 31

• Challengers EMEA Stage 2: May 18 - 28

• Challengers EMEA Stage 3: June 22 - July 6

Ahead of Challengers EMEA 1 and 2, every league will host an additional Qualifier Tournament. The top two teams from each region, and four from the NORTH/EAST, will qualify for each Challenger EMEA event, for a total of 14 teams competing in each tournament.

Qualification for Challengers EMEA 3 will be a little different, with the event offering qualification into VCT EMEA Stage 2, and in turn, Champions. With so much at stake, we are providing two pathways for qualification for the third and final Challengers EMEA of the year.

Firstly, eight of the best performing teams from the regional Challenger Leagues will be given slots – two from NORTH//EAST and from MENA Resilience, and one from France Revolution, DACH Evolution, Spain Rising, and Türkiye Birlik. They will be joined by an additional eight teams from the Challengers circuit by points to take the tournament to a total of 16 teams.

From there, the 16 teams will face off with major stakes on the line, competing for four coveted spots in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins.

Ascending into VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins

Our Challengers teams will have two huge opportunities to qualify for VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins, which will lead into the first-ever VALORANT EMEA destination event!

Only four spots are up for grabs for Challenger teams, however there are two opportunities to earn one. The top three teams that fend off the intense competition in Challengers EMEA 3 will immediately qualify. Following that, there will then be a quick Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) event, to decide that final, priceless spot. We’ll share details about the format at a later date, but think of LCQ as unforgiving brackets and a high stakes event where every moment matters.

Game Changers EMEA 2026

Game Changers will be back bigger and better than ever in 2026 with even more opportunities for women across EMEA to compete and showcase their skills.

The Game Changers EMEA format will remain mostly the same as 2025, with a Kickoff event and three Stages with 10 teams competing in each.

To complement these events, we are introducing the Game Changers EMEA Circuit. This new circuit will include the regional tournaments and all-new Cash Cups, both of which provide teams more chances to compete, earn points, and improve their ranking. 

The Game Changers EMEA Cash Cups will be captivating, quick-fire tournaments. Starting in 2026, the monthly tournaments will give our Game Changers teams additional opportunities to compete for prize pools. Every Cash Cup will be open to all our Game Changers teams, including regional GC teams and GC EMEA teams, and will all be played online-only for easy, flexible participation.

Similar to Challengers EMEA 3, Cash Cups offer teams an opportunity to be promoted into Game Changers EMEA 3 Play-Ins and potentially onto the Game Changers Championship. 

The top teams across all the Regional Challenger Leagues can also qualify for the Promotion/Relegation tournaments in Game Changers EMEA. With two events scheduled for next year, the regional teams have two chances to secure their spot in the top division.

Premier & Path to Pro

VALORANT’s in-game competitive tournament system, Premier will return next year. The built-in tournament mode is a vital foundation for players to test their skills and kick start their own path to going pro.

Next year, Premier will feature the same format as 2025, with two massive opportunities to earn promotion into Challengers in the calendar year.

We can’t wait to deliver more VALORANT esports action than ever before with so many new events. Make sure to follow our social media channels for the latest VALORANT EMEA news.