Riot details VCT 2027 anti-cheat, streaming and eligibility rules for Open Qualifiers

Riot Games has published a long rundown of how it plans to keep VCT 2027 fair as the VALORANT Champions Tour opens up to more teams and brings back online competition. The post, published on 5 November 2026 US time, covers anti-cheat, streaming rules, eligibility and how Championship Points will work.

Anti-cheat and account rules

Riot says it has a zero tolerance policy on cheating, and wants to make it harder for bad actors to get into competition in the first place.

• All competitors must be Vanguard Check compliant.
• Players need to be Ascendant+ to compete in Open Qualifiers. Everyone on a team must have peaked at Ascendant+ in the last 6 months.
• Accounts must be in good standing. That means no current ban, and no Game Ban, Vanguard Intervention, Ranked Restriction or Comms Restriction in the last 30 days.
• Confirmed violations can bring disqualification and competitive suspensions.

Protections grow as teams advance

Riot describes a scaled approach. Open Qualifiers lean on Vanguard, post-match reporting and retroactive enforcement, with extra account security requirements still under consideration. Open Play-Ins get an elevated baseline, with regions able to add monitoring. Open Playoffs get the full framework, including voice monitoring, player POV recordings and match-area cameras.

Tournament officials can also request extra checks mid-match, such as reviewing setups or asking teams to live stream their match area.

Streaming and coaches

Players can livestream Open Qualifier matches, but starting with OQs, POV streams need a broadcast delay of at least two minutes. Teams can run their own broadcasts from multiple POV streams if each one meets that delay.

Creators can co-stream player POVs with approval from the tournament organiser. Teams can publish VODs and voice comms. Coaches may talk to players in the early stages, but in later stages of Cup qualification tournaments, coach communication will be monitored under the same rules as VCT has now.

Online play and eligibility

Players are responsible for their own connection and equipment. Technical-pause allowances will be set out in the Online Play Rulebook, and officials won’t pause a whole tournament over one dispute because brackets are interconnected.

At least three of five starting players must belong to the team’s home region, and teams generally need to keep at least three of five players to carry progress and Championship Points between OQs. Rules will be on the Competitive Operations website.

Championship Points

Riot says points will be expanded across nearly every level of the VCT, from Open Qualifiers to Kickoff, Cups and Masters. Qualifier points mainly help with seeding, while the highest levels count most toward Champions qualification. More detail is due in the coming weeks, and regions may host multiple Open Qualifiers.