Riot Games has laid out an exciting path for Premier teams to ascend to the VALORANT Challengers through its newly revealed Path to Champions program. This strategic initiative details the competitive journey teams will embark on to reach the pinnacle of VALORANT esports.
Challenger Leagues and Regional Structure
The 2026 season is set to boast 14 Challenger Leagues spanning the Pacific, Americas, and EMEA regions. However, the landscape is shifting with the significant removal of the Challengers Oceania league. The absence of this league marks a major change in the competition’s structure. From these leagues, top-performing teams will secure spots in the VCT Stage 2 Playoffs, competing for a chance to qualify for Champions Shanghai.
Pacific Region Dynamics
In the Pacific, teams will commence their journey across six designated gamepods, or sub-zones. Exceptional teams will progress to their regional Challengers League, with Oceania no longer being an option. Teams that succeed in these initial stages will compete within the divided Pacific Challengers League, covering Japan, South Korea, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Americas and EMEA Developments
Meanwhile, the Americas’ Premier system features the most extensive setup, spread over five zones: US East, US West, LATAM North, LATAM South, and Brazil. Top teams from these zones advance to one of the four Challenger leagues available in the region.
In EMEA, Premier teams will navigate through eight gamepods, moving up to zone-level competitions. The region will host the highest number of Challenger Leagues, including DACH, North/East Europe, Spain, France, Türkiye, and MENA. As the system develops, further details about team progression from gamepods to zones, and onwards to the Challengers Leagues, are yet to be confirmed.
