VCT 2027 Partner Teams Emerge Across All Four Regions
Teams are announcing whether they have been selected as VALORANT Champions Tour partners for 2027-28, with the first confirmations arriving on October 18 and 19, 2026, across the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, as tracked by VLR.gg. The lists are still incomplete.
A Smaller Partner Pool
VLR.gg reported that the next cycle has eight partnered teams per region, down from ten plus two Ascension teams under the previous agreement, with regions split further to allow for more local designation.
The agreements run for two years. In China, VLR.gg said the format has eight partners, two guest teams and two places decided through open qualifiers.
The regions are being split into smaller designations: VLR.gg said EMEA will cover Europe, Türkiye and MENA, while the Americas will be divided into North America, LATAM North, LATAM South and Brazil. Pacific will span South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania.
Who Has Been Named
In EMEA, VLR.gg listed Team Heretics and BBL Esports so far, with six places still open. BBL said in a post on X it was delighted to be re-selected for the partnership programme.
In the Americas, KRÜ Esports, LOUD, and Sentinels announced a partnership on October 18, and VLR.gg reported that NRG has also partnered.
Cloud9, Shopify Rebellion Black, M80 and FlyQuest announced they were not selected, and Cloud9 said it would remain in VALORANT.
In Pacific, Rex Regum Qeon announced partner status on October 19.
Global Esports said it will shut down its esports operations and release its roster; KIWOOM DRX was not selected, and Nongshim RedForce also missed out despite winning Masters Santiago and reaching the Champions Shanghai playoffs.
Its CEO, Evans Oh, announced the organisation will remain in VALORANT and field a team in 2027.
China is furthest along. TYLOO, Weibo Gaming, Xi Lai Gaming, All Gamers, JD Gaming, Trace Esports and EDward Gaming have announced partnerships, leaving one partner place open.
What Happens Next
VLR.gg said it will update each regional page as further announcements are made, so the lists above will change.
Teams that miss out are not necessarily leaving the game, since the new format keeps routes to international events open through qualifiers.
Riot Games has already published the structure of the new VALORANT Champions Tour, which opened a two-year partnership cycle starting in 2027.
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