Sheep Esports reported Riot’s 2027–2028 VCT partnership structure as a 32-organization field across EMEA, Pacific, China and the Americas, while warning its live list was still being updated.
The report, published on October 19, 2026, said each region would have eight partner organizations, down from 10. It listed confirmed selections and reported exclusions, but its EMEA section remained a work in progress, so the visible names do not establish a complete final lineup.
The two-year cycle pairs a smaller partner pool with a format that introduces open qualifiers. Partnership status does not guarantee a place in Cups or LAN events, according to the report; selected organizations instead retain baseline revenue from Riot Games and receive in-game skins.
Non-partner teams are not necessarily leaving VALORANT. The more open circuit gives successful teams a route to qualify for international LANs and earn revenue from Riot, a change with implications for how organizations weigh established partner benefits against investment in the wider competitive ecosystem. Esports Insider has previously examined the relationship between VCT’s partnered teams and Tier 2.
The visible EMEA entries were Team Heretics, BBL Esports and Fnatic. In Pacific, the report named Paper Rex, T1, FULL SENSE, RRQ Esports and Crazy Raccoon; the rendered table also showed Bilibili Gaming.
China’s listed organizations included EDward Gaming , JD Gaming , TYLOO , Xi Lai Gaming and Weibo Gaming , with All Gamers also visible in the table. The Americas entries were LOUD , G2 Esports , NRG , Sentinels , MIBR , KRÜ and LEVIATÁN .
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