TL;DR
- 12 teams fight in triple elimination.
- 3 Masters spots; new BO5 finals.
- Jan 20-Feb 15: Live updates here.
VCT 2026 Kickoff is back with top-tier VALORANT action this winter starting January 2026. It features 12 teams per region in a fresh triple elimination format. If you're all about the EMEA region, I've got the full breakdown right here.
Everything you need on the VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff schedule, current standings, teams, new format, and more. A total of 12 teams are battling for three qualification spots to Masters Santiago. That includes 10 partnered teams and two Ascension winners. You'll see some familiar faces returning, like Gentle Mates, plus longtime partners such as Fnatic and Team Liquid.
All Participating VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff Teams
Here's the full lineup:
Fnatic
Team Liquid
GIANTX
Team Heretics
KOI
Team Vitality
BBL Esports
Gentle Mates
Natus Vincere
Karmine Corp
PCIFIC Esports (Ascension qualifier)
ULF Esports (Ascension qualifier)
Fnatic, Team Liquid, GIANTX, and Team Heretics - the four Champions 2025 reps - kick things off in the upper bracket quarterfinals.
New Triple Elimination Format Explained
This setup gives teams more chances to stay alive. Everyone starts in the upper bracket. One loss drops you to the middle bracket, another to the lower. A third loss and you're out.
Big change this year: no single grand finals. Instead, there are three separate finals - upper, middle, and lower. Winners of each grab a spot at Masters Santiago in February. All finals are best-of-five (BO5). Everything else is best-of-three (BO3).Crucial Championship Points are on the line too. Winner: 4 points. 2nd place: 3 points. 3rd: 2 points. 4th: 1 point. At season's end, the top two EMEA teams by Championship Points head to VALORANT Champions Shanghai.
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff Full Schedule & Live Results
The tournament runs from Jan. 20 to Feb. 15, 2026. Week one had eight matches in the first two upper bracket rounds. Week two brings middle bracket action and upper semis. Lower bracket fights heat up in week three alongside middle semis. Week four wraps with all the bracket finals - back-to-back BO5s.
4pm GMT: NAVI 2-0 Karmine Corp
7pm GMT: FUT Esports 0-2 Gentle Mates Jan. 21 (Upper bracket round one)
4pm GMT: PCIFIC Esports 1-2 BBL Esports
7pm GMT: ULF Esports 0-2 Team Vitality Jan. 22 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)
4pm GMT: NAVI 2-1 Team Heretics
7pm GMT: Gentle Mates 2-0 GIANTX Jan. 23 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)
4pm GMT: BBL Esports 2-0 Fnatic
7pm GMT: Team Vitality 2-1 Team Liquid Jan. 27 (Middle bracket round one)
4pm GMT: Team Liquid 2-1 Karmine Corp
7pm GMT: Fnatic 2-1 FUT Esports Jan. 28 (Middle bracket round one)
4pm GMT: GIANTX vs PCIFIC Esports
7pm GMT: Team Heretics vs ULF Esports Jan. 29 (Upper bracket semifinals)
4pm GMT: NAVI vs Gentle Mates
7pm GMT: Team Vitality vs BBL Esports Jan. 30 (Middle bracket round two)
4pm GMT: Fnatic vs Team Liquid
7pm GMT: TBD Feb. 3 (Lower bracket round one)
4pm GMT: FUT Esports vs Karmine Corp
7pm GMT: TBD
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