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The Valorant Champions Tour 2026 Stage 1 events’ Group Stages saw a decrease in viewership, yet the Playoffs brought a more optimistic outlook for Valorant’s International Leagues.
The Pacific circuit now leads the Americas in peak concurrent viewership and total watch time, solidifying its position at the top of the VCT viewership charts. On the other hand, the EMEA circuit continued to struggle with viewership, although the decline in peak viewership was somewhat mitigated by the support for Fnatic during their fight for a spot at Valorant Masters London in the Playoffs.
We are unable to include statistics from Chinese livestreaming platforms due to the unique nature of their publicly available data. Chinese platforms use an internal “Heat Index” formula, which differs from the standard concurrent viewership metric used by international platforms.
VCT 2026 Stage 1 Viewership Results Leading up to Masters London
The VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1 witnessed the most-watched Group Stage of the VCT 2026 thus far, accumulating over 20,000,000 Hours Watched throughout the Stage. Esports Charts reported a record 553,883 Peak Viewers during the grand final, fueled by a historic Thai audience for Valorant esports.
This success placed the Pacific ahead of the Americas; while America had a higher watch time during the Stage 1 Group Stages, this lead was surpassed after the conclusion of the Playoffs.
Viewership for the VCT 2026: Americas Stage 1 and EMEA continued to decline, marking their lowest Stage 1 results in terms of peak concurrent viewers. Popular teams like Fnatic, Sentinels, and LOUD, all failed to qualify for Valorant Masters London 2026, potentially impacting the tournament’s overall viewership.
Comparing VCT 2026 Stage 1 Viewership to Previous Year
The VCT 2026: EMEA Stage 1 and Americas both experienced over 20% drops in total watch time, with the Americas also seeing a substantial decrease in peak viewership compared to the 2025 Stage 1. The decline in viewership affected not only official broadcasting channels but also top co-streamers in these regions.
While our previous report noted a slight increase in total watch time for the China circuit, the international interest in VCT China has significantly decreased compared to 2025. Peak concurrent viewership dropped by over 70%, largely due to the absence of international co-streamers.
Top Co-streamers of VCT 2026 Stage 1
In Brazil, Heitor “Tck10” Tomazela emerged as one of the most-watched Valorant co-streamers globally. Focusing on the Americas, Tck10’s broadcasts garnered over 50,000 concurrent viewers during the Playoffs, supporting local teams.
Another prominent figure from the Americas, Pujan “FNS” Mehta, formerly of NRG, now leads English-language co-streamers with millions of Hours Watched across VCT circuits. FNS surpassed Tarik “tarik” Celik in North America and notably outperformed him in Hours Watched during Stage 1 2026.
In Japan, former pro player Ushida “Lazvell” Kouji stood out as the most-watched co-streamer for the Pacific. With a passionate Japanese audience, Lazvell’s broadcasts attracted over 40,000 Peak Viewers during Pacific matches, surpassing the official Japanese VCT broadcast.
Looking ahead to Masters London 2026, Stage 1 laid the groundwork for global VCT viewership at this international event. The Pacific region shows promising momentum, with a diverse audience counterbalancing a decline in Korean viewership. The presence of Paper Rex, known for their exciting playstyle, adds to the event’s appeal.
While competitive rosters from the Americas and EMEA are set to compete at Masters London, the absence of fan-favorite teams like LOUD, Sentinels, and Fnatic may impact viewership. NRG and other competitive teams offer engaging matches, but they lack the large fanbases of the leading teams.
Masters London 2026 is poised to be a thrilling event, drawing viewers from around the world. Cross-regional matches, especially featuring popular Pacific rosters, are expected to attract high viewership, but surprises can still arise in other matchups.
Format & Schedule for Valorant Masters London 2026
Valorant Masters London 2026 follows the format used at Masters Santiago 2026. The top-seeded teams from each International League proceed directly to the playoffs, while the remaining eight teams compete in a Swiss-system Group Stage.
The Swiss Stage of Valorant Masters London 2026 will run from June 6–10, with the top four teams advancing to the Playoffs scheduled for June 13–21. All matches at Masters London will be best-of-three, except for the lower bracket final and grand final, which are best-of-five.
Taking place at the Copper Box Arena in London, Masters London marks the first international Valorant event in the United Kingdom. The venue has previously hosted Riot Games events like the League of Legends 2023 Mid-Season Invitational.
Valorant Masters London is the second major LAN event of the VCT 2026 season and represents a crucial opportunity for teams to earn VCT Points before the year ends. Strong performances at Masters London could make a significant difference for teams vying for a spot in Champions 2026.
How to Watch VALORANT Masters London 2026
To follow Valorant Masters London 2026 live, viewers can tune in to Riot Games’ official Valorant esports broadcasts in various languages. Co-streaming options will be available, with Valorant personalities hosting watch parties. Check out our dedicated article for updates on watching Valorant Masters London 2026.