Riot confirms $1.1m milestone fund for non-partner VCT teams from 2027

Riot Games has confirmed that independent teams in the VALORANT Champions Tour will receive guaranteed cash payments for reaching major milestones from the 2027-28 season, according to Esports.gg News.

A team that clears every stage of the circuit can collect up to $1.1 million in milestone money alone, separate from the standard prize pool, which totals more than $6 million globally.

The payment scale rewards qualification rather than results: $100,000 for reaching Kickoff, Cup 1 or Cup 2, $200,000 for each of the two Masters events in a typical year, and $400,000 for qualifying for Champions. A roster that also reaches the Game Changers Championship can add a further $100,000 bonus on top of the $1.1 million ceiling.

The move coincides with Riot reducing the number of partner teams from ten to eight per region, leaving 32 partner organisations worldwide for 2027.

Between 2023 and 2026, most of Riot's financial support flowed to partnered sides, leaving non-partner teams in the second-tier Challengers circuit to cover players, coaches and day-to-day running costs largely from their own pockets, with prize money often their only reliable income, Esports.gg News reported.

Riot had offered one late concession in 2026, a one-off $75,000 travel allowance covering travel, visas and accommodation, but only for Challengers teams that reached the Stage 2 Playoffs of the top-tier International League. Any independent side that fell short of that could effectively lose money simply by competing, according to the outlet.

Partner organisations will not receive milestone payments. Instead they get an annual base payment from Riot for holding their league slot and contributing to the league's growth, though Riot has not confirmed the figure. Partners also qualify directly for Kickoff and can earn revenue from digital goods such as Team and Season Capsules, with deals running on renewable two-year cycles. Beyond direct Kickoff entry, partnership does not guarantee a place at Cups, Masters or Champions, which must still be earned through results against both partners and Open Qualifier entrants.

Riot said more than 100 teams applied for partner slots for 2027-28, evaluated against five criteria: community growth, fandom resonance, business sustainability, operational infrastructure and competitive success, with competitive results described as "an important part" of the process but not the whole of it, as cited by Esports.gg News.

In the Pacific region, the eight confirmed partners are Full Sense, Crazy Raccoon, GAM Esports, Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, T1, Gen.G and ZETA DIVISION. Crazy Raccoon and GAM Esports are new additions to the partner group, while Wolves, Team Secret and Global Esports were notable omissions.

Riot's Jake Sin addressed the Pacific selection on X, writing: "A huge congratulations to all our new VCT Pacific partner teams! I'm incredibly excited for the next chapter we will build together."

Manila is set to host the first VCT Pacific Cup of the new era from April 29 to May 23, 2027, with places at Masters Valencia on the line. It will be the first real test of how partner teams and milestone-funded independents compete under the revised structure, with the 2027 VCT season itself opening on January 14.