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Triple elimination kicks off VCT 2026

CongoBat

December 2, 2025

The format for the 2026 Kickoff tournaments has been revealed, featuring an all new triple elimination bracket.

The tournament will select three teams from each region to participate at the first masters tournament of the year, hosted in Santiago. Masters Santiago will feature twelve teams across the four leagues, expanded from the typical eight teams that was seen at Masters Bangkok and Masters Madrid.

A graphic displaying the new triple elimination bracket. The new Kickoff bracket. (Image by Riot Games)

All twelve teams will begin in the upper bracket, with the four teams that attended Champions 2025 given a one-round bye. The tournament contains an upper, middle, and lower bracket, with a loss sending teams down one bracket. A loss in the lower bracket eliminates a team, meaning that teams will need to lose three games before they are eliminated.

Notably absent from the bracket is the grand final. The tournament will instead end once the three qualified teams have been chosen, with one team coming from each of the upper, middle, and lower brackets.

The 2026 VCT season will begin in January, with each leagues Kickoff beginning on the following dates:

Americas: Jan 15
EMEA: Jan 20
Pacific: Jan 22
China: Jan 22

Comments:

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#1

JonahPork

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G2, MIBR, and NRG to Santiago obviously

#9

fungame024

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no, kru is going lol

#12

JonahPork

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😭😭😭 son 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

#21

Naynaybaby

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less dropping 100 in that lower final to beat nrg

#31

LouBag

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This is one of those comments that could come true.

#38

vinylfr

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BALL KNOWER ON THE VLR THREAD !!!!!!!

#39

fungame024

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im being downfragged for truth

#15

localkoolkid

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eg?

#19

JonahPork

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Not with 2026 supamen

#20

ParodyAccount

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you must be boring at parties

#2

number7_cNed_fan

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Which matches are a best of 5?

I'd guess M29 and M30?

#5

Arun777

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prolly grand finals and lower finals

#48

kbkdark

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Actually, I think it's gonna be:

Grand finals
Mid finals
Lower finals

#14

paperaeter42

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M25 too

#16

catNmouse

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M25, M29 and M30

#3

EG_BanhMi

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EG Cinderella run to Santiago

#4

1dan1x

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not complicated at all

#6

MrBlooBloom

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pikems will be horrific with ts

#7

Jeekee

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Dawg the one who lose in the upper finals will have 2 more chance to qualify directly. Ain't no way you're losing 3 in a row finals

#10

GarbanzoEnjoyer

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glü and choke9 will find a way

#46

cheQm8__

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Bold of you to assume these both/either of teams will reach M25

#47

GarbanzoEnjoyer

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known group stage farmers could go on a run

#8

229fn

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hell yeah, excited to see more fun brackets as well as more games

#11

LouBag

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Interesting

#13

GarbanzoEnjoyer

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W format

And no more "trophies" for regional farmers

#17

Musket

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Perfect <3

#18

xSlqme

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are all the non-qualifying matches bo3? seems like a lot of matches, esp if M25, M29 and M30 are bo5

#25

Trykan

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You make a good point, there's around 16 days worth of event if what you said is true. I fear M1 - M4 and M9 - M12 will be Bo1 to save time...

#36

jonathanimmanuelkennedy

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bo1s are not worth watching

#22

kinqtobias

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banger format

#23

Vadno3

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This bracket is a banger and is damn confusing

#42

Anguibok

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You think it's a banger because it's confusing, it's not a banger. A team can receive 3 bye in 4 round with that format, the max game theory is 9, you can have a max game theory with 16 teams and 4 chance instead of 3

Therefore the bracket is suboptimised

#45

cheQm8__

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the max game theory is 9

Isn't the max game 8 according to the brackets?

4 chance instead of 3

Even 3 looks more chances to me but 4 would be exhausting for teams.

#24

DarkRice37

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imagine losing m25 29 and 30

#35

1One1

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Fall from the ladder
Your head hit a rock
The ladder fell on your body

#26

charleser

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I'm not sure how I feel about teams having a chance at 3 finals to qualify for a masters but there's going to be hella fun matches next year

#27

lofu

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holy heck

#28

n0vacane

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cool

#29

osamason

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more games = more gambling

lets go !

#30

Abcdefg

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how to decide seeds in masters then?

#34

chl03k

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winner of M25, M29 and M30 -> 1st, 2nd, 3rd seeds

#37

FNSaimcoach9

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Upper bracket winner 1#
Mid bracket winner 2#
Lower bracket winner 3#

#32

1One1

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So, the winner of M25, M29 and M30 are gonna qualify to Master Santiago

#33

emea_is_poo_poo

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so i can watch aspas lose 3 times?

#40

-Artorias

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wat a nice format. finally something good from riot

#41

GT-R

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Please, Crazy Raccoon! Bid for VCT Pacific at the end of 2026! Don't let this chance to pass again for another 4 years!

#43

fr0ster0p

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so nrg is seed 1 and sen seed 4 g2 seed 3 and miber seed 2

#44

Akhmyed

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w format, kickoff now feels less mickey
if prx and fnc get eliminated again im gonna lose it

#49

iOnyx

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1 more month lets gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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