Publisher Riot Games has formally announced the 32 partner organisations selected for the 2027–2028 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) cycle, concluding a global evaluation process that reviewed more than 100 applicant teams.
Following a decentralised announcement phase where individual clubs revealed their status on social media, the developer confirmed an eight-team baseline for each of the four international territories: Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China.
The official regional allocations feature a mix of legacy champions, content heavyweights, and prominent regional brands. In VCT Americas, the eight confirmed partners are 100 Thieves, G2 Esports, KRÜ Esports, Leviatán, LOUD, MIBR, NRG, and Sentinels. In VCT EMEA, the roster comprises BBL Esports, Fnatic, FUT Esports, Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp, Team Heretics, Team Liquid, and Team Vitality.
VCT Pacific is represented by Crazy Raccoon, FULL SENSE, GAM Esports, Gen.G, Paper Rex, T1, Team RRQ, and ZETA DIVISION. Meanwhile, VCT China features All Gamers, Bilibili Gaming, EDward Gaming, JD Gaming, Trace Esports, TYLOO, Weibo Gaming, and Xi Lai Gaming.
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According to Riot Games, the selection process evaluated applicant clubs across five primary operational criteria: commitment to growing the VALORANT community, fandom and content resonance, business sustainability and responsible operations, established infrastructure, and competitive track record. The resulting two-year renewable partnership model provides selected clubs with annual financial stipends, revenue sharing via team capsules and Championship bundles, and direct seeding into the season-opening VCT Kickoff tournaments. Under the updated “Tournament-First” architecture, partner status guarantees seeding only for Kickoff. From that point forward, franchised clubs must compete directly against emerging open qualifier rosters across regional Cups, Masters, and Champions events, marking the first time partner teams face continuous promotion-style pressure throughout the season.
However, the formalisation of the 32-team partner ecosystem sent shockwaves through the global competitive landscape, making non-partnered clubs to re-evaluate their long-term viability. While organisations such as Cloud9 have pledged to rebuild through open qualifiers, others have taken drastic operational measures, with former international champion Evil Geniuses scaling back or shutting down competitive operations entirely.
The structural gap between partnered and non-partnered entities has drawn public criticism from industry executives. M80 Founder and CEO Marco Mereu highlighted the severe financial disparities facing independent rosters trying to sustain tier-one operations. Similarly, Lyon Gaming Head of VALORANT Emmanuel Neyra voiced frustration over the ongoing lack of direct franchise representation for the Latin America North (LAN) sub-region, warning that the regional imbalance threatens long-term talent development.
For full details, executive statements, and ongoing reactions from affected organisations, readers can consult The Esports Radar’s Live Tracker, which continues to monitor post-announcement developments across all four regions.
