VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff
The VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff is the opening stop and the first sporting event for the VALORANT game season in the Americas (North and South America), and it is part of the official global circuit (VALORANT Champions Tour) organized by Riot Games.
Format
Playoffs Format
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Triple-Elimination Bracket: Teams have three opportunities to stay in the tournament before being eliminated.
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Match Format:
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All standard bracket matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3).
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The Upper Bracket Final, Middle Bracket Final, and Lower Bracket Final are Best-of-5 (Bo5).
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Seeding Advantage: Teams that previously qualified for Champions Paris receive a first-round bye and advance directly into Round 2 of the Upper Bracket.
Skirmish Side Selection Rules
To determine map veto advantages or seeding, a pre-match 1v1 Skirmish is used under the following rules:
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Player Nomination: Before the match begins, each team selects one starting player to represent them in the duel.
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Gameplay Settings:
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The two nominated players face off in a 1v1 matchup using the in-game Skirmish mode.
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Abilities are disabled—the duel relies purely on gunplay.
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Winning Condition: The first player to win five rounds wins the Skirmish.
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The Reward: The winning player's team earns the right to choose whether they want to act as the starting team or the second team during the Map Veto process.