VCT in EMEA is getting a big shake-up in 2026, and a new tournament, the VALORANT EMEA Clash, is right at the center to bring top Challenger teams and EMEA squads together.
Running from Feb. 16 to 26, this sets up an early-season event where underdogs can swing at some of the region’s biggest names. It will take place right after the regional Kickoff events and just before the Masters Santiago.
VCT EMEA teams that fail to qualify for Masters will drop into this event to face the strongest Challenger League lineups, making it the first official chance of the year for rising teams to test themselves against partnered organizations.
Riot wants the tournament to highlight new talent while also giving VCT teams a chance to recover and build confidence before Stage 1 starts.
Why VALORANT EMEA Clash matters for teams
For Challenger teams, Clash is about more than just fun matches, as it’s an early chance to gain experience against top-tier opponents that could help later when promotion spots are on the line.
The 2026 format offers multiple ways into VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins, with four spots available in total. Three spots are reserved for the best teams from Challengers EMEA Stage 3, and one more slot is kept for the decider through a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).
For VCT squads, a poor showing at Clash could raise concerns long before the race toward Champions Shanghai really begins. This new event is just one part of a very full EMEA schedule this year.
A busy EMEA year backed by big VCT money
Challenger Leagues will still use a three-stage format, with cross-regional Challengers EMEA events set for March 16 to 31, May 18 to 28, and June 22 to July 6, plus extra qualifier tournaments to feed the strongest teams into each stage.
Game Changers EMEA is also coming back with three stages and 10 teams per event, now supported by a new Circuit and monthly online Cash Cups that help women’s teams climb into Stage 3 Play-Ins and aim for the Game Changers Championship.
All these new events are arriving as Riot Games puts even more money into VALORANT esports worldwide. The company recently announced it will share over 100 million dollars with VCT partner teams for the 2025 season, mostly funded by in-game esports items like team skins, the Season Capsule, and the Champions Collection. That total is a big increase from the 78.4 million shared with 44 teams in 2024.
With stronger support at the top and more routes than ever, from Premier to Challengers, Game Changers, and now EMEA Clash, 2026 could be the year when EMEA hopefuls really break through and turn local success into global relevance at events like Champions Shanghai.
