It's been awesome watching the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 1 regional events, and now, the first one has finished up. That means we have our three teams representing the VCT 2026 China league at Masters London locked in. Here's how things went down.

After an exciting Group Stage that kept us on the edge of our collective virtual seats, we had some shocking upsets. One of the favorites, Bilibili Gaming, didn't even make it to the Playoffs Stage, crashing out early on.

In the Playoffs Stage, which finished up on Sunday, 11 May 2026, the 2024 world champions, EDward Gaming, took no prisoners. EDward Gaming first reverse-swept Dragon Ranger Gaming in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals.

With momentum from a fantastic comeback on their side, EDward Gaming dominated All Gamers for a 2-0 win in the Semifinals, and in the Winners' Finals match, they swept XLG Esports under the rug with another 2-0 win.

XLG Esports bounced back in the Lower Bracket Final to beat Dragon Ranger Gaming 3-1. In the Grand Final, they pushed EDward Gaming to their limits. However, it was EDward Gaming who came out on top with a narrow 3-2 victory to claim the trophy and a spot at the Esports World Cup 2026.

The three teams who qualified for Masters London via the VCT 2026 China Stage 1 event are EDward Gaming, XLG Esports, and Dragon Ranger Gaming. Check out the table below for a complete overview of the final VCT 2026 China Stage 1 standings.

Stay tuned to Esports Central as we'll bring you coverage of the regional VCT 2026 events leading up to Masters London, then the Stage 2 events, leading up to Champions, and more!

Header image via Riot Games.