Welcome, agents! The 2026 season will arrive with three stages, each with a Swiss group stage and playoffs, and promotion/relegation cycles that will shape the league after Stages 1 and 2.

This year will test consistency, adaptability, and long-term performance as teams battle for regional dominance and their chance to reach VCT Americas Playoffs in Stage 2 as part of the “Road To Champions”.

Three Stages, One Competitive Path

Just like in 2025, the 2026 season will feature three Stages, each consisting of:

• Swiss Stage featuring all 16 teams

• Top 8 Playoffs in a double-elimination bracket

• Promotion/Relegation (after Stages 1 and 2)

Every match during the Swiss Stage will be Best-of-three (Bo3), the same will happen for Playoffs, except for the Lower Final and Grand Finals that will be played as Best-of-five (Bo5).

Stage 1 (January–March)

• Swiss Stage: January 19 – February 11

• Playoffs: February 16 – February 26

• Promotion/Relegation: March 9 – March 12

Stage 2 (March–May)

• Swiss Stage: March 23 – April 22

• Playoffs: April 27 – May 7

• Promotion/Relegation: May 10 – May 13

Stage 3 (May–July)

• Swiss Stage: May 25 – June 28

• Playoffs: July 2 – July 12

• LCQ: July 28 & 29

• No Promotion/Relegation cycle after the final Stage.

How to qualify to VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoffs: Road To Champions

The team that wins Stage 3 will earn a direct spot in the Road to Champions. The team with the most circuit points will be considered the second-best in the region and will qualify for the Americas LCQ alongside the other second seeds from Brazil and LATAM.

Teams in VALORANT CHALLENGERS NA 2026

The ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2026 will feature the following 16 teams:

Academy Teams Update

The 2026 season introduces an important update to the academy structure:

• Evil Geniuses Academy joins as an officially integrated academy team replacing ENVY, the current Ascended team to VCT Americas.

Academy teams participate throughout the entire year but:

• Can be relegated (no longer protected for their first year)

• Cannot qualify for Road to Champions (VCT Americas Playoffs Stage 2)

Tournament Format Overview

Across all three Stages, VALORANT Challengers NA will follow the same competitive structure:

Swiss Stage

• 16 teams

• Bo3 matches

• 4 wins = advance to Playoffs

• 4 losses = elimination

Playoffs

• Top 8 teams

• Double elimination

• Bo3 matches until Lower Final and Grand Final (Bo5)

• Seeding based on Swiss performance

This format rewards consistency, adaptability, and strategic depth over the course of the year.

Promotion & Relegation

Promotion and relegation will happen after Stages 1 and 2. In this cycle, each competition includes:

• The bottom 3 teams from the Challengers Swiss Stage (0-4 & 1-4 records)

• The top 3 teams from the corresponding Premier Acts

Format:

• The three Challengers teams enter a single round-robin.

• The worst-performing Challenger team is automatically relegated.
  The best Premier team is promoted directly to the next Stage.

• The remaining two teams play Bo5 matches against the 2nd and 3rd place Premier teams for the last two Challengers slots.

Road To Champions: VCT Americas Playoffs Stage 2 

With the changes announced a couple of months ago, the winner of the VALORANT Challengers NA Stage 3, will directly qualify to the VCT America’s Stage 2 Playoffs, additionally we will have a new phase called the “Last Chance Qualifier”, on which the second-place team selected by achieving the most circuit points throughout the year will qualify. The purpose of the LCQ is for the best second-place teams from each region (NA, LATAM, and BR) to play in a tournament to determine the fourth team that will compete in the VCT Americas Playoffs.

Broadcast & Coverage

All matches will be streamed live on the official channels:

• Twitch: valorant_northamerica

• YouTube: VALORANTChallengersAmericas

Fans can also follow real-time updates, results, and stories from the season on Challengers NA’s social channels.

Watch Parties & Co-streaming

Before each Stage begins, applications will open for official co-streaming slots—giving creators and community figures the opportunity to host authorized watch parties throughout the season.

Follow us

For ACE VALORANT Challengers NA:

X/Twitter: ACENAValorant

Instagram: ACENAValorant

For VALORANT Esports NA:

X/Twitter:  valesportsna

Instagram - valesportsna

Liga ACE Esports:

X/Twitter: LigaAceEsports

Instagram - LigaAceEsports
For Broadcast: 

Twitch: valorant_northamerica

YouTube: VALORANTChallengersAmericas