Riot Games Announces VCT 2027 Open Qualification Details: Schedule, Format, and Roster Requirements

Open Qualifiers for the VCT 2027 VALORANT season kick off in November. Riot Games' updated competition structure will grant amateur and independent teams a direct path to international events such as Kickoff, Masters, Champions, and the new VCT Cups.

The official free agency window opens on November 2, marking the start of active roster building. Open qualifiers will run throughout November, with schedules varying by region. VCT Kickoff tournaments will begin in January 2027, with the new season's first Masters scheduled for February.

In the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific regions, Kickoff tournaments will feature four Open Qualifier teams alongside eight partner teams. Regions will be able to host multiple OQ stages, giving rosters more than one opportunity to qualify. All payouts for open teams will be merit-based: qualifying for Kickoff, Masters, or Champions will guarantee cash prizes and potential support.

To participate in the qualifiers, the developers have established the following roster rules:

• Regional limit: At least three out of five players on a roster must represent the home region (allowing a maximum of two imports).
• Slot retention: Open and creator-led teams retain their competitive progress throughout the season provided they keep at least three players from their initial roster.

Open Qualifiers will cover all four official territories: Americas (North America, Latin America, Brazil), EMEA (Europe, Turkey, MENA), Pacific (South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Oceania), and China.

As a reminder, Riot Games announced the Project Blender 2026 tournament with a €100,000 prize pool and LAN finals in Paris.