Riot Games finally bringing VALORANT Masters event to UK in 2026
7 October 2025
As far as esports in the UK go, VALORANT has been one of the more popular titles among British gamers in recent years. That is why it is all the more exceptional that the United Kingdom has never hosted an official VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Masters tournament, especially when you consider the infrastructures of cities like London and Birmingham. That is, until now or better said, until June 2026, because the game’s developer Riot Games has just announced that the second Masters of the 2026 VCT season will take place in London. Exact dates and details about the venue have not been revealed yet.
2026 VALORANT Champions Tour
The revelation by Riot Games was part of a larger announcement regarding the upcoming 2026 season of the VALORANT Champions Tour. There will be three Masters events in total of which the second will take place in the English capital of London. We know that this will happen in the month of June 2026, but we don’t know the exact dates yet.
The other two 2026 VCT events are set for February/March 2026 and September/October 2026. The former will be organised in the Santiago de Chile, the capital of Chile in South America, while the latter will take place in Shanghai, in China. The Santiago Masters represents the first time a VCT global event is organised in Latin America. The Champions event in Shanghai towards the end of next year will decide who the new VALORANT world champion will be.
Debut in the United Kingdom
As we wrote before, despite the popularity of VALORANT among players and fans of esports in the UK, no VCT Masters event has been held in the United Kingdom so far. Next year’s VCT Masters London will therefore be the debut of the region as international host, while it also represents a return to Europe for the VALORANT Champions Tour. The last time a Masters or Champions event took place in Europe was the 2024 VCT Masters Madrid, in Spain.
“Global VCT events will visit three different continents in 2026, bringing global events to new and returning locations”, writes Riot Games on the official VALORANT website, “[…] Masters London: The UK’s debut as an international host, bringing VCT back to Europe.”
Changes for VALORANT Champions Tour 2026
Apart from the locations for next season’s Masters events, Riot Games also took the opportunity to introduce a few changes to the formats and structures. These include longer Kick Offs with a brand-new triple elimination format, three back-to-back playing days, and an expansion of the number of participating teams in the London Masters to 12. At VCT Shanghai, Challengers will have a chance to qualify for the first time ever as well.
In relation to that last point, Ascension tournaments are being replaced with a path to VALORANT Champions. In Stage 2, Challengers will fight for a spot in VALORANT Champions and qualification will equal various benefits, including serious compensation from digital goods.