VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026: Third Week Schedule

VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 is the official opening tournament of the VALORANT season in the EMEA region as part of the Valorant Champions Tour 2026. The event is held from January 20 to February 15, 2026, in an offline format at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany, where 12 professional teams compete for international qualification spots and valuable Championship Points.

All matches listed below are played in a best-of-three (Bo3) format.

Tournament Status and Importance

The Kickoff tournament is an integral part of the official VCT ecosystem organized by Riot Games. It serves as the first major competition of the season, offering an early look at team form, roster changes, and regional power balance.

Tournament Format

In 2026, the event features a triple-elimination format. Teams are only eliminated after three losses:

• the first loss sends a team to the Middle Bracket;
• the second loss sends them to the Lower Bracket;
• the third loss results in elimination.

Three separate finals are played — Upper, Middle, and Lower Bracket Finals — with each winner earning a spot at Masters Santiago 2026.

VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 — Third Week Match Schedule (CET)

All match times are listed in CET (Central European Time).

February 3 — Lower Bracket Round 1

• 19:00 — Karmine Corp vs FUT Esports
• 22:00 — PCIFIC Esports vs ULF Esports

February 4 — Mid Bracket Quarterfinals

• 19:00 — Natus Vincere vs Fnatic
• 22:00 — Team Vitality vs GIANTX

February 5 — Lower Bracket Round 2

• 19:00 — Team Liquid vs TBD
• 22:00 — Team Heretics vs TBD

Where to Watch

Matches are broadcast live on the official Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok channels with commentary available in multiple languages.

VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 is the official opening tournament of the Valorant Champions Tour 2026 for the Europe-Middle East-Africa region, featuring 12 professional teams battling in Berlin for Championship Points and qualification spots to Masters Santiago, with the full participant list consisting of BBL Esports, Fnatic, FUT Esports, Gentle Mates, GIANTX, Karmine Corp, Natus Vincere, Team Heretics, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, PCIFIC Esports and ULF Esports.