Riot Games has announced the Valorant EMEA Clash 2026, a brand-new tournament with a unique, lore-based structure that pits the region’s Challenger and VCT teams against each other to determine some of the seats for the Masters Santiago tournament.
The Valorant EMEA Clash 2026 will feature 12 teams, 6 from the Challengers regions and 6 from VCT EMEA. The Kickoff tournament that’s currently taking place will result in three VCT teams who will head to Masters Santiago. The top six of the remaining teams will head to Valorant EMEA Clash 2026.
It’s worth noting that there are 12 EMEA teams, and this system accounts for 9 of them. The Valorant EMEA Clash 2026 is an optional competition, and there have been three teams who decided not to opt in regardless of the Kickoff tournament results, according to the Valorant Esports Product Manager, Tomek Borowka, on X.
A breakdown of how the qualifications for EMEA Clash 2026 can be viewed below:
The 12 teams for the Valorant EMEA Clash 2026 will be split into two groups at random with a draw, though each group will have two of the VCT EMEA teams. These groups are called Alpha and Omega, referencing the multi-universe lore of Valorant. This essentially creates two double-elimination brackets that result in an Alpha Champion and an Omega Champion.
While these groups are split for the upper brackets, a loss switches them to the lower brackets of the other group, starting in the second round. For example, if a team loses in the Upper Bracket for Alpha, then they’ll go to the Lower Bracket for Omega.
This interconnection between the two sets EMEA Clash 2026 apart from other Valorant tournaments, as teams will be playing entirely new opponents in the lower brackets.
A comprehensive look at what the brackets will look like with this system can be viewed below:
The Valorant EMEA Clash 2026 will begin soon, with games being played on February 19, February 22 and 24, and February 25. Fans can tune in on YouTube or Twitch, as well as the local Challengers channels.