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
