Riot Reduces VCT Partner Teams to 32, Cloud9 and DRX Out of the Running

Riot Games has started notifying organizations about their status as partners in the VALORANT Champions Tour for 2027 and 2028, reducing the number of partner teams in each of the four regions from ten to eight. This change has left some well-known teams, such as Cloud9 and KIWOOM DRX, outside the guaranteed-revenue tier.

While Riot hasn’t released an official list, reports indicate that decisions began rolling out on October 19, with ongoing updates based on team announcements and insider information. As of Monday afternoon, the confirmed partners include eight teams in the Americas, EMEA, and China, and seven in the Pacific.

In the Americas, the partner teams are LOUD, Sentinels, KRÜ Esports, NRG, G2 Esports, LEVIATÁN, MIBR, and 100 Thieves. EMEA’s partners include Team Heretics, BBL Esports, Team Vitality, Team Liquid, Fnatic, Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp, and FUT Esports. The Pacific region features Paper Rex, T1, Gen.G, Team RRQ, FULL SENSE, Crazy Raccoon, and ZETA Division. In China, the selected teams are EDward Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, JD Gaming, TYLOO, All Gamers, Trace Esports, Weibo Gaming, and Xi Lai Gaming, with many of these names sourced from reports rather than official announcements.

Several organizations that were not selected have publicly acknowledged their status. In the Americas, Cloud9, ENVY, FlyQuest, LYON, and M80 confirmed they were not chosen, as did Barça eSports and GIANTX in EMEA, along with KIWOOM DRX and Nongshim RedForce in the Pacific. Reports also indicated that FURIA and Shopify Rebellion were excluded in the Americas, NAVI in EMEA, and FunPlus Phoenix, Nova Esports, Titan Esports Club, and Wolves Esports lost their partner status in China. Movistar KOI, which had its EMEA agreement terminated in 2025, was also among the applicants not selected.

The reduction in partners was anticipated, and the overall format is evolving as well.

Riot announced on April 8 that the VCT would transition to a tournament model in 2027, introducing a new two-year partnership cycle. Under this model, partners will receive a guaranteed annual base payment, performance bonuses, an in-game team capsule, and direct entry into the later rounds of open qualifiers. In June, Riot mentioned that partners would also gain “direct entry into Kickoff,” the season opener, which will feature eight of the twelve slots in the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific. The Kickoff in China will include two visiting teams and two from open qualifiers alongside its eight partners. Following this, advancement will be based on performance, with both partners and open teams competing in the same qualifiers for the new Cups, Masters, and Champions, with partners entering in later rounds. Riot has promised over 50 tournaments across 15 cities, with Kickoff qualifiers set to begin in November.

The financial incentives explain why teams were eager for these slots.

Riot shared over $105 million with VCT partner teams during the 2025 season, with $86 million of that coming from esports digital item sales. Reports indicated that the Champions 2026 bundle had already generated over $50 million for participating teams, with Riot sharing 50% of the net proceeds.

The exact amount for the 2027 base payment has not been disclosed. Reports from April suggested that annual payments for partners in North America, Latin America, and Brazil could range from $600,000 to $5 million, depending on competitive performance and skin sales, but these figures remain unconfirmed.

For the teams that were dropped, the loss of the team capsule may be even more significant. Riot stated in its April announcement that the best non-partner teams could potentially earn more than the lowest-ranked partner teams through qualification payments and prize money. In June, Riot set these payments at $100,000 for qualifying for Kickoff or a Cup, $200,000 for Masters, and $400,000 for Champions. However, the team capsule is exclusive to partner status, and digital goods accounted for over 80% of what Riot paid teams last year. The exact contribution from team capsules versus event bundles remains unclear.

The excluded organizations are divided on the value of the open circuit.

Cloud9 expressed its commitment to the VCT and the VALORANT ecosystem, announcing open tryouts to build a roster for the open qualifiers. They stated, “We are not leaving.” According to reports, Barça eSports and Nongshim RedForce also plan to continue competing, while ENVY’s CEO mentioned that the decision does not necessarily mean they are exiting competitive VALORANT. KIWOOM DRX affirmed their dedication to the scene, stating, “For whatever comes next, see you all in VCT 2027.”

On the other hand, some teams are stepping back. Global Esports, the Indian organization that participated in VCT Pacific during the first partnership cycle, announced it would cease competitive operations to focus on GE Studios. FlyQuest, GIANTX, and M80 have yet to clarify their plans regarding the open circuit.

Riot has previously removed partners, such as terminating Movistar KOI’s VCT EMEA agreement in September 2025 and removing TALON from VCT Pacific shortly after. This marks the first instance of a simultaneous reduction in partners across all regions.

Key details still remain uncertain, including the size of the base payment, the revenue from digital goods attributed to team capsules, which organization will fill the last partner slot in the Pacific, and how many of the excluded teams will participate in the November qualifiers.

This reduction puts Riot’s April promise to the test. If open teams can reach Masters and Champions and earn comparable revenue to partners, the 32 partnerships will have a head start. If not, Riot has narrowed the pool of teams sharing its skin revenue during a year when a single event bundle generated over $50 million for teams.