VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff: All You Need To Know

The road to Masters Santiago begins with a single step – Kickoff. The VCT EMEA Kickoff for 2026 is set to begin on the 20^th of January with 12 teams taking to the stage, competing and qualifying for 3 slots to the first VALORANT Masters event of the new year. Kings of old? Established order? 2026 upturns all of that with new challengers vying for control in this latest season of VCT EMEA. Let’s take a look.

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12 Teams Enter the Berlin Arena

This year’s VCT EMEA season features the same count of 12 teams with some new faces added to the lineup. EMEA Ascension 2023 and 2024 winners Gentle Mates and Apeks waved goodbye to their time in Tier 1 as their 2-year guest slot concluded. However, the departure of KOI from the partner’s circle saw the former Gentle Mates return swiftly, this time as a permanent fixture. The winner and runners-up of EMEA Ascension 2025, PCFIC Esports and ULF Esports join to round out the league.

• UNFAKE returns to Team Vitality as a substitute for Sayonara, who will not be old enough to participate in VCT until March. 
• ULF Esports members Ömür "echo" Serkan Şenol and Efe "s0pp" Tur are not old enough to participate in VCT until February and March, respectively. 

Teams that qualified to Champions Paris (Fnatic, GIANTX, Team Liquid, and Team Heretics) received a bye into the UB (Upper Bracket) Round 2 of Kickoff.

Introducing Triple-Elimination

VCT Kickoff 2026 introduces the new triple-elimination format with each team granted 3 opportunities to earn a spot to Masters Santiago. All teams will begin in the Upper Bracket. Losing one series drops the team into the Mid Bracket and a second loss drops them further to the Lower Bracket. Each of the 3 brackets will have a Bo5 finals between the final 2 teams remaining, granting qualification for Masters Santiago to the winner.

Schedule Breakdown

VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 is set to run for 4 weeks, from January 20^th to February 15^th, with matches beginning at 5pm CET.

• Week 1(Jan 20-23): Upper Bracket Round 1 and 2 matches begin. 
• Week 2 (Jan 27-30): Mid Bracket Round 1 and 2 matches begin. Upper Bracket continues with Semifinals.
• Week 3 (Feb 3-6): Lower Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 matches begin. Mid Bracket continues with Quarterfinals.
• Week 4 (Feb 12-15): Conclusion of Upper, Mid, and Lower Bracket. All three representatives emerge. 

Opening Matchups

• Natus Vincere vs Karmine Corp (Jan 20^th | 5pm CET)
• FUT Esports vs Gentle Mates (Jan 20^th | 8pm CET)
• PCIFIC Esports vs BBL Esports (Jan 21^st | 5pm CET)
• ULF Esports vs Team Vitality (Jan 21^st | 8pm CET)

Championship Points On the Line

Qualification for the first international tournament of the year is certainly the biggest draw, but there’s even more to claim for teams. Depending on where they finish, teams will also be awarded coveted VCT Championship Point, which may end up deciding if they attend VCT Champions Shanghai at the end of the year. Only 4 teams at Kickoff will earn Championship Points. 

• Upper Bracket Winner: 4 Points
• Mid Bracket Winner: 3 Points
• Lower Bracket Winner: 2 Points
• Lower Bracket Runner-up: 1 Point

How to Watch VCT EMEA Kickoff?

VCT EMEA will be broadcasting all matches live on their official Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok channels. Additional language streams will also be available in French, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

• French: Twitch, YouTube
• Spanish: Twitch
• Turkish: Twitch, YouTube
• Ukranian: Twitch, YouTube

Tickets will also be available to attend the Riot Games Arena in-person in Berlin. Tickets will be available on Thursdays and Fridays for Weeks 1-3 and then everyday for Week 4. Check out ticket prices on the official website.

The kings of yesteryear may no longer be at the top of EMEA. New hungry challengers emerge as the countdown to Santiago begins. Can Fnatic retain their domestic superiority or will the new superteam on the block claim the crown?

Check out Strafe Esports for all the latest VALORANT news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credit: VCT EMEA // Riot Games 

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Read More:

VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff: All You Need to Know

VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff: The Road to Masters Santiago

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