VALORANT Challengers North America 2026 has announced that two free agent teams, Rose andF/A Ex-Cubert Academy, have failed to secure their spots for the event.
According to the organisers, both teams failed to meet undisclosed ‘eligibility requirements’. Hence, their slots will now be filled by teams advancing through an open tournament.
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Starting on January 5th, 64 teams will battle in single-elimination Open Qualifiers, with the top two squads progressing to the Closed Qualifiers.
The double-elimination Closed Qualifiers will take place from January 8th to 10th and will also feature two teams from 2025 Premier Mode Acts V and VI, Burger boyz and Fraud Uni, respectively.
The winners of both the upper and lower brackets will then earn a place in VALORANT Challengers NA Stage 1.
Registrations for the Open Qualifiers stage will be open from December 22nd to 28th, and interested teams can apply by filling out the official Google Form.
2026 VALORANT Challengers NA Structure
VALORANT Challengers North America 2026 will be held across three stages, with the winner of Stage 3 qualifying directly to the VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoffs.
Moreover, Stage 1 and Stage 2 will feature Promotion & Relegation tournaments, where the worst performing Challengers team will be relegated and replaced by the best Premier squad from the corresponding Premier Act in the next stage.
When it comes to Stage 3, a Last Chance Qualifier will take place, consisting of the second seeds from Challengers North America and Brazil, along with the loser of the LATAM finals.
Following the removal of Rose and F/A Ex-Cubert Academy, here are the confirmed teams competing in VALORANT Challengers NA 2026 Stage 1:
- Relaxed Reptilians
- Alliance Guardians
- F/A Ex – TSM
- Shopify Rebellion Black
- YFP
- QoR
- SaD Esports
- BOX OF ROCKETZ
- Maryville University
- Nightblood Gaming
- Evil Geniuses Academy
- Blue Otter
- Winthrop University
- Pigeons
Challengers NA Stage 1 is scheduled to run from January 19th to March 12th, kicking off with the Swiss Stage, followed by Playoffs and Promotion & Relegation. Fans will be able to catch all the action live on VALORANT Challengers North America’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.
Source: https://esportsinsider.com/
