Riot launches VCT CN Stage 2 in China with $250K prize pool
The Valorant event runs July 9 to August 23 across Changsha and Chengdu with 14 teams; opening-day results included Wolves Esports beating Titan and Dragon Ranger Gaming sweeping Bilibili Gaming 2-0.
Riot Games has launched VCT CN Stage 2, the fourth leg of the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour China season, running from July 9 to August 23 with a $250,000 prize pool and 14 teams competing across Changsha and Chengdu. The group stage began at Helong Gymnasium in Changsha in a single round-robin format, with playoff seed deciders scheduled for July 24 to 26 before the tournament moves to Chengdu for the playoff bracket. Opening-day play on July 9 included Wolves Esports’ 13-5 win over Titan Esports Club and Dragon Ranger Gaming’s 2-0 sweep of Bilibili Gaming, reversing BLG’s 3-1 win over DRG in last year’s VCT China Stage 2 Grand Final. The DRG-BLG match was also listed on Coinbase and Kalshi prediction markets at roughly 49 to 52 cents pre-match, suggesting traders viewed it as nearly even; the tournament itself has no direct crypto, blockchain or Web3 integrations.
- single round-robin: A format in which each team plays every other team once.
- S-tier offline tournament: A top-level in-person competitive event.
- prediction markets: Tradable contracts on event outcomes that typically pay $1 if the specified result occurs and $0 if it does not.