VCT 2027 Open Qualifiers: Riot sets an Ascendant+ peak, Vanguard checks and a two-minute stream delay as online play returns

What Riot announced Riot published its competitive-integrity plan for VCT 2027 on 5 November, ahead of the Open Qualifiers that bring online play back to the Champions Tour. The post covers anti-cheat, eligibility, streaming, online disputes and Championship Points, and it is the first time Riot has put a rank floor on the open path into pro VALORANT.

Rank and account requirements - Every player on a team needs a peak of Ascendant or higher within the last six months. - Accounts must be in good standing: not currently banned, and no Game Ban, Vanguard Intervention, Ranked Restriction or Comms Restriction in the last 30 days. - All players must be Vanguard Check compliant. - At least three of five starters must come from the team's home region, and a team must keep three of its five players to carry progress and points between qualifiers.

How matches will be policed Protection scales with the stakes. Open Qualifiers rely on Vanguard, post-match reports and retroactive enforcement. Open Play-Ins raise the baseline, with regions free to add monitoring. Open Playoffs get the full framework: voice monitoring, player POV recordings, match-area cameras and extra anti-cheat checks. At any stage officials can ask for recordings or for a team to stream its match area.

Streaming and coaches Players may stream their own Open Qualifier matches with a delay of at least two minutes; watch parties need the tournament organiser's approval. Coaches can talk to players in the early rounds, with monitored comms in the later stages of Cup qualification.

What it means for players The Ascendant peak is now the hard gate for anyone planning to enter, and it is measured over a rolling six-month window. Riot has not yet published Open Qualifier dates or the Championship Points table; it says more detail will follow in the coming weeks, and we will add it here when it lands.