2024 Valorant Champions Tour: Masters Shanghai Details

Last updated: June 9, 14:00 (BST)

The second Masters event on the 2024 Valorant Champions Tour is almost upon us! VCT Masters Shanghai officially kicks off on May 23, 2024, for just over two weeks of action-packed Valorant gameplay, culminating in the Grand Finals on June 9.

Twelve of the best Valorant teams have qualified from the four VCT international leagues from Stage 1: Americas, Pacific, EMEA, and China. Riot Games anticipates this event will draw in hoards of hungry Valorant esports fans wanting to see a VCT China team claim a trophy. 

Riot Games is stoking the flames of competitive spirit with a $1M prize pool and precious VCT circuit points at stake. Which team will rise from the ashes to be crowned champions of VCT Masters Shanghai? Stay tuned to find out!

Read on for the full VCT Masters Shanghai schedule, competition format, participating teams, and other bonus info!

VCT Masters Shanghai: Format

VCT Masters Shanghai will star twelve teams, aka the three top teams from each international region's Stage 1 event. The format for this event builds upon the established structure used in Masters Madrid. 

Masters Shanghai begins with the Swiss Stage, from May 23 until 27. It has an eight-team Swiss format, with the 2nd and 3rd seeds from each international league. The winning team from each region's Stage 1 received automatic byes into the Playoffs. 

All Swiss Stage matches are best-of-three (Bo3). In the first round, each second seed competes against the third seed from a different region. The teams in subsequent rounds are seeded based on their win/loss records. The teams with two wins advance to the Playoffs, while two losses mean they're out!

In the Playoffs, eight teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket: the top four teams from each international league and the four Swiss Stage teams. The top-seeded teams pick their first-round opponents in a randomized order, adding a spicy strategic element to the mix.

All Playoff matches will be best-of-three, except the Lower Final and Grand Finals, which will be played as best-of-five series to maximize tension. 

VCT Masters Shanghai: Teams

The twelve teams competing were decided through the four Valorant Champions Tour regions' regular seasons, aka Stage 1: Americas, Pacific, EMEA, and China. As such, each region has its top three seeded teams representing it. Interestingly, VCT Masters Madrid winners, Sentinels, missed out on qualifying. 

Here is every team that has qualified for the VCT Masters event in Shanghai, ordered by first seed, second seed, and third seed. 

Americas

1. 100 Thieves: Asuna, bang, Cryocells, eeiu, Boostio
2. G2 Esports: JonahP, trent, valyn, leaf, icy
3. Leviatán: kiNgg, Mazino, aspas, tex, c0m

Pacific

1. Paper Rex: mindfreak, f0rsakeN, d4v41, something, Jinggg
2. Gen.G Esports: Meteor, t3xture, Lakia, Munchkin, Karon
3. T1: Sayaplayer, Carpe, xccurate, iZu, Rossy

EMEA

1. Fnatic: Boaster, Derke, Alfajer, Leo, Chronicle
2. Team Heretics: Boo, benjyfishy, RieNs, Wo0t, paTiTek
3. FUT Esports: MrFaliN, qRaxs, ATA KAPTAN, yetujey, cNed

China

1. EDward Gaming: Haodong, CHICHOO, nobody, ZmjjKK, Smoggy
2. FunPlus Phoenix: AAAAY, BerLIN, Lysoar, autumn, Life
3. Dragon Ranger Gaming: TvirusLuke, Nicc, vo0kashu, TZH, Shion7

VCT Masters Shanghai: Schedule

VCT Masters Shanghai will run from May 23 until June 9, offering over two weeks of high-stakes Valorant action. There will be a Swiss Stage and Playoffs, with a brief three-day break in between. There will also be a "Dark Day" from June 4 until June 7, with no matches played. 

• Swiss Stage: May 23 - 27 
• Playoffs: May 30 - June 9

Here is the complete schedule for VCT Masters Shanghai for the Swiss Stage and Playoffs, including all Upper Bracket matches. All times listed will be in PT, and match winners will be in bold. Bookmark this page, as we'll update this section as the tournament progresses. 

Playoffs

May 30 - Upper Bracket Quarterfinals

• 1:00 AM: 100 Thieves vs. FUT Esports
• 4:00 AM: Fnatic vs. Gen.G Esports

May 31 - Upper Bracket Quarterfinals

• 1:00 AM: Paper Rex vs. G2 Esports
• 4:00 AM: Team Heretics vs. EDward Gaming

June 1 - Lower Bracket Round 1

• 1:00 AM: Paper Rex vs. EDward Gaming
• 4:00 AM: FUT Esports vs. Fnatic

June 2 - Upper Bracket Semifinals

• 1:00 AM: G2 Esports vs. Team Heretics
• 4:00 AM: 100 Thieves vs. Gen.G Esports

June 3 - Lower Bracket Quarterfinals

• 1:00 AM: 100 Thieves vs. Paper Rex
• 4:00 AM: FUT Esports vs. Team Heretics

June 7 - Upper Bracket Final

• 12:00 AM: G2 Esports vs. Gen.G Esports

June 7 - Lower Bracket Semifinal

• 3:00 AM: 100 Thieves vs. Team Heretics

June 8 - Lower Bracket Final

• 12:00 AM: G2 Esports vs. Team Heretics

June 9 - Grand Final

• 12:00 AM: Gen.G Esports vs. Team Heretics

VCT Masters Shanghai: Venues & Streams

Most matches will be played at the Valo Arena, home to VCT CN. The last three days in the Playoffs, including the Upper Finals, will be played at the Mercedes Benz Arena, the largest venue in Valorant esports history. 

If you can't make it to see the tournament unfold in person, don't worry! All matches will be live-streamed on the official Valorant Esports Twitch channel. VoDs, live broadcasts, and player interviews will be available on the Riot Games channel and the Valorant YouTube channel, which is embedded below for your convenience. 

Final Thoughts

That's all our information on VCT Masters Shanghai, which kicks off on May 23. We'll update this article regularly with match results, standing updates, and upcoming matchups as we progress further through the competition, so keep an eye on this page.

For more information on the favorite teams to win the tournament and live betting odds, check out our dedicated Valorant Champions Tour betting guide. 

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