VALORANT Champions Shanghai moves into its playoff phase on October 7, following a group stage held from September 24 to October 4 at Jing’an Sports Center in Shanghai.

The transition marks the start of the event’s highest-stakes matches, with eight teams advancing to a double-elimination bracket. The completed playoff field reflects a strong run for the Americas and three Pacific qualifiers.

According to Inven Global, all four Americas teams and three Pacific teams survived the group stage. Paper Rex, T1 and Nongshim RedForce advanced from Pacific, while Team Vitality was the only EMEA representative to progress; all four teams from China’s CN region were eliminated.

100 Thieves reached the playoffs without dropping a map, while Paper Rex went undefeated in Group C after 2-1 wins over Team Liquid and G2. Nongshim also made the bracket in its Champions debut, following its Masters Santiago 2026 victory and runner-up finish at VCT Pacific Finals Busan.

The regional split follows a difficult group stage for the host region and a strong showing from the Americas. The Americas’ path through qualification set up a four-team playoff presence, while Pacific will carry three teams into the next phase.

The first playoff fixtures include two matches on October 7, with Nongshim RedForce and Team Vitality meeting the following day. The tournament uses a double-elimination format.

NRG advanced from Group D with a 2-0 record and is aiming to become Champions’ first back-to-back winner and first two-time champion. A different team has won the tournament each year since it began in 2021.

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