The 32 partnered teams for the upcoming 2027 season have all been confirmed by Riot. Beginning next year, eight teams from Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China will receive additional support from Riot in various forms on a renewable two-year cycle.

Partnered Teams

The full list of partnered teams is as follows:

Americas:

EMEA

Pacific

China

Selection Process

“To select our partners, we operated a comprehensive selection process that saw more than 100 teams from around the world submit their interest,” stated Riot. “This effort began earlier this year, with teams sharing proposals of what they could bring to the VCT and the wider VALORANT community. A smaller group of finalists were interviewed by global and regional esports leads to better understand what they aspired to bring to the VCT.”

Five key criterion were the focus of high-level selection:

  • Commitment to Grow the VALORANT Community
  • Community Resonance across Fandom and Content
  • Business Sustainability and Responsible Operations
  • Operational Excellence and Established Infrastructure
  • Competitive Success and Performance Development

Riot also stated that it looked for organizations that brought something unique to the VCT through a local fanbase, identity, history of competitive excellence, and other factors.

“While competitive results were an important part of our evaluation, we placed particular emphasis on organizations that could help us build fandom and community resonance for years to come.”

Partner Benefits

Every partnership cycle lasts two years on a renewable basis, meaning that a partnered organization in 2027 may only retain that status until the next round of partner evaluations.

Each partnered team will receive the following benefits:

  • Annual financial support from Riot
  • Opportunities to earn additional revenue through in-game digital goods (such as Team & Season Capsules, the Championship bundle, and “incentives tied to contributions to growing VALORANT Esports”)
  • Direct qualification to VCT Kickoff (for VCT 2027)

2027 Season

Partnered teams must display competitive excellence in order to reach Cups and international events, as there is no direct qualification for them after Kickoff.

Riot's goal is to create a more competitive system this year and onwards with more opportunities for new challengers and competition.

“We believe this balance of long-term stability and open competition will create a healthier ecosystem, giving established organizations the confidence to invest in their future while ensuring that competitive success is always earned on the server.”