Riot Games has revealed the first ticketing details for VALORANT Champions 2026, confirming prices, sale dates and entry requirements for fans planning to attend the season-ending tournament in Shanghai.
Champions will run from September 24 to October 18 and feature 16 teams from VCT Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China. The Group Stage and early playoffs will be held at Jing’an Sports Center before the tournament moves to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong for Finals Weekend.
General ticket sales begin September 2
The main ticket sale for matches at Jing’an Sports Center begins on September 2 at 11:00 AM China Standard Time.
International fans will be able to purchase tickets through MAISEAT. Riot has also introduced an earlier priority period for eligible Mastercard holders outside Mainland China.
The priority window opens on August 30 at 11:00 AM CST and closes on September 1 at the same time. Fans using this option must verify their eligibility with the first eight digits of their Mastercard and complete payment using the same payment network.
- Mastercard priority sale: August 30, 11:00 AM CST
- Priority sale ends: September 1, 11:00 AM CST
- General sale begins: September 2, 11:00 AM CST
- International ticket platform: MAISEAT
For fans in Mainland China, Riot is directing ticket purchases through Damai instead.
Tickets start at ¥198 for weekday matches
Pricing changes depending on whether fans attend during the week or on weekends.
Standard weekday tickets begin at ¥198 for Tier 4 seating and rise to ¥488 for Tier 1. Weekend pricing starts at ¥288 and reaches ¥568 for Tier 1.
Riot is also offering a more expensive Tier 1 Bundle, priced at ¥1,128 on weekdays and ¥1,208 during weekend sessions.
| Ticket tier | Weekday price | Weekend price |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 Bundle | ¥1,128 | ¥1,208 |
| Tier 1 | ¥488 | ¥568 |
| Tier 2 | ¥366 | ¥468 |
| Tier 3 | ¥288 | ¥388 |
| Tier 4 | ¥198 | ¥288 |
Weekday pricing applies to September 24, September 29-30 and October 8-10. Weekend pricing covers September 25-27, October 1-4, October 7 and October 11.
The cheapest confirmed Champions Shanghai ticket therefore costs ¥198, while the most expensive currently announced package reaches ¥1,208.
Riot introduces strict real-name ticketing
International visitors should pay particular attention to Riot’s identification requirements.
VALORANT Champions Shanghai will operate with real-name ticketing. International attendees must register each ticket using a valid passport and bring the same physical passport to the venue.
Tickets cannot be transferred or officially resold once purchased.
Entry will include identity verification and facial recognition, with the details attached to the ticket required to match the attendee’s identification document.
- Each ticket must be linked to a unique valid ID
- International visitors must use a passport
- The physical passport must be brought to the venue
- Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be resold
Each account can purchase up to four tickets for an event, but every individual ticket requires separate identification information.
Fans also cannot manually choose exact seats during the initial purchase process. Riot says it will attempt to place tickets bought together next to each other where possible. Final seating details are expected to become visible in the ticket wallet roughly two to three days before the relevant session.
Champions returns to Mercedes-Benz Arena
Most of Champions 2026 will take place at Jing’an Sports Center, but Riot is saving the tournament’s decisive matches for a significantly larger stage.
Finals Weekend will move to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong.
The venue already has history within competitive VALORANT. Mercedes-Benz Arena hosted the closing stages of Masters Shanghai 2024, an event Riot later highlighted for its attendance and strong audience response when announcing Shanghai as the host city for Champions 2026.
Separate ticket information for Finals Weekend has not yet been included in Riot’s first announcement, meaning fans targeting the final stages will need to wait for additional details.
Shanghai hosts the biggest VALORANT event of 2026
Champions Shanghai begins on September 24 and concludes on October 18.
Sixteen teams will compete, with four representatives coming from each international VCT region. China’s full contingent is already confirmed, with JD Gaming, TYLOO, EDward Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming securing their places.
Additional participants from Americas, EMEA and Pacific are being determined through the closing stages of Stage 2 and Championship Points.
The tournament is VALORANT’s final international competition of the year and will crown the 2026 world champion.
Assessment
Riot’s first ticket announcement gives international fans enough information to begin planning for Champions Shanghai, particularly for the Group Stage and early playoff rounds.
The ¥198 entry price makes some weekday sessions comparatively accessible, although premium weekend packages are considerably more expensive. The most important detail for international visitors is arguably the strict real-name system rather than the pricing itself.
Passport registration, identity verification and non-transferable tickets leave significantly less flexibility than at many esports events. Anyone planning to attend should therefore ensure that ticket details exactly match their travel documents.
With Finals Weekend moving to Mercedes-Benz Arena, Riot is also clearly preparing for a larger conclusion to the tournament. The remaining question is how pricing and availability will change once tickets for those decisive matches are announced.
