CHINA – In an interview with Ma Xiao (马啸) from People E-Sports, TJ Sports CEO Jin Yibo (金亦波) revealed that the VCT CN League will embark on a seven-city roadshow throughout the 2026 season.
The plan will see five cities host the VCT CN splits, together with Shanghai to welcome the 2026 VALORANT Champions event, followed by a year-end invitational.
The new format moves away from the traditional model of hosting matches in a fixed venue with occasional finals held elsewhere. Instead, VCT CN will adopt a new model in which events travel between cities throughout the season much like the global Formula 1 World Championship. The league plans to sign long-term partnership agreements with host cities, mirroring F1’s fixed collaborations with destinations like Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
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In previous years, VCT CN’s roadshows in Changsha, Beijing, and Chongqing drew thousands of fans but lasted only a few days, mostly centered around the playoffs or finals weekend. These new roadshows in 2026 will also include regular-season matches and playoff portions of the league.
Future events will no longer be confined to the few thousand spectators inside arenas. Instead, the league plans to integrate public activations and landmark collaborations, similar to the Stage 2 festivities in Chongqing’s Guanyinqiao Street, a bustling area similar to Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur or Orchard Road in Singapore.
Fans can expect cosplay showcases, showmatches, VALORANT Mobile and PC experiences, and other community-driven activities, all designed to turn each city into a VALORANT-themed festival. Our recent trip to Chongqing was no different. From the moment we arrived, VCT CN and VALORANT banners were everywhere, from the airport and train stations to city buildings, and all around the Guanyinqiao landmark and its nearby streets.
During the Chongqing roadshow, data showed that 33% of spectators came from Chongqing itself, about 50% from the broader Sichuan-Chongqing region, and the remaining 50% from other provinces.
Over 20,000 fans attended the event across five days, while activities at Guanyinqiao’s outdoor venue drew hundreds of thousands more, from VALORANT enthusiasts to curious passersby who had never heard of the game or the VCT before. Even uncles and aunties stopped to see what was happening. The tour also boosted visits to local landmarks, hotels, and restaurants, including TEC player Haodong’s family noodle shop, which became a fan hotspot during the event.
With next year’s city tour in place, VALORANT activations will stay longer in each city and expand into public spaces with heavy foot traffic, further strengthening their impact on local culture and tourism.
According to TJ Sports, VCT CN will prioritize large, international, youth-driven cities with strong local policy support for esports: “Our goal is to deliver the most complete and best-ever esports + culture + gaming experience in history.”
“Our team includes the esports division from TJ Sports, the publishing division from Tencent, and the IP and publishing support team from Riot Games. These three groups have worked together and refined their coordination over a long period”
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