VALORANT Premier: Everything You Need To Know (2026)

Premier is VALORANT's tournament game mode, allowing teams to clash in weekly matches in a tournament structure that culminates in a Playoffs run. It also serves as the direct pipeline — "Path to Pro" — allowing players to compete, win, and earn promotions all the way up the ladder to the biggest stages. 

*Last updated: 17/10/2026

When Does Premier Start?

The next Premier Season will run from October 21, 2026 until December 6, 2026. Weekly matches will conclude on December 4, with Playoffs spanning the final 2 days — Quarterfinals and Semifinals on December 5 and Finals on December 6. 

Divisions below Contender and Invite have Playoffs lasting a single day. 

Premier will follow the current Act's Map Pool of Summit, Abyss, Sunset, Lotus, Corrode, Haven and Bind. 

What is VALORANT Premier

Premier is a game mode within VALORANT, allowing casual players to form teams of at least 5 to compete within weekly tournament setting to accrue points and qualify for a Playoffs bracket. 

Performing well within Premier allows the team to 'promote' to higher leagues, eventually feeding into Tier 2 and Tier 1 VALORANT.

This is true up until 2026, we will amend this if new information arises for 2027 onwards.

What's the Difference Between Premier and Ranked?

Unlike other game modes, Premier is a team-centric game mode, meant to be the closest mimic to a real professional tournament setting. 

Firstly, your team's Premier performance does not affect your personal rank. Premier does not have individual ranks. Instead it has divisions, where your entire team is assigned to, and you compete against other teams within the same division. 

Your team accrues Premier Score (points) by participating in weekly matches, which will span 7 weeks for one 'season'. Earn sufficient Premier Score and your team qualifies for the Playoffs at the end of the Premier season. 

During Weekly matches, teams will queue for the map of the week, with each map taking a turn in the rotation (hence 7 weeks). During Playoffs, the format will shift into a pick/ban, allowing teams to pick and ban according to their map pool strength. 

What is the Premier Score and Format

Premier lasts a total of 7 weeks each Stage, culminating in a Playoffs over the final weekend. Each of the 7 weeks will see the map pool rotate, challenging your team with a different map from the active pool each week. 

However, each week will consist of multiple days of games. Some days will be labelled Practice Days while others are Match Days.

Practice Days vs Match Days

On Practice Days, within the period window, your team can queue for practice matches against other teams. Practice matches will not affect your team's score. 

On Match Days, within the period window, your team can queue against other teams. These are counted as official matches and grant points depending on if you win or lose. 

What is Premier Score and How to Earn

Premier Score is what your team strives for within the game mode and is earned by participating in Match Day games. 

Teams earn 100 points for a match win and 25 points for a match loss. This means that regardless of the match result, your team will still get something out of it. 

Each week, your team can participate in up to 2 official matches. This means a maximum of 200 points a week. Playoffs qualification requires a Premier Score of 600. 

VALORANT Premier Requirements

A player's account needs to meet 2 requirements in order to qualify as Premier-eligible. Firstly, they must have completed their Competitive Placement games at least once in their account's lifetime. Secondly, the account must be verified via SMS verification. 

A team must consist of at least 5 players to be eligible to queue for Premier matches and can consist of up to 7 players maximum. 

Creating a Premier Team

Head to the Premier tab in VALORANT. Select a Zone to compete within. This will affect your team's available game servers, match schedule, division placement and the opponents your team will face. 

Once you select a region, you will be prompted to create a Team Name and Team Tag. An important note: you will not be able to change either at a later time once you have confirmed both. 

You can also design your team's Logo with the in-game customization options. 

Finally, populate your team with members and queue up!

Joining a Premier Team

To join a Premier team, you will have to be invited by a Team Owner or Captain. In the case of a team of friends, this can be done through the Friends List. Otherwise, it is common in higher-level Premier teams to function like professional teams through tryouts and connections in social servers such as Discord. 

Players can only be on one team roster at a time. 

Leaving a Premier Team

You may leave a Premier team at any time aside from when your team is actively in queue. You do not lose any participation rewards you earned but you will lose your Team Tag and Team Plating. 

Full Riot Games documentation on Joining/Leaving a Premier team.

Team Owner and Team Captain

Creating a team automatically makes you the Team Owner. This grants you the power to invite new players, remove current players, set the team's zone, customize the team's logo and delete the team. 

If the Team Owner leaves the team, the next oldest remaining player inherits the title. The Team Owner can also elect a Team Captain, who is able to invite and remove team members.

Team Ownership can be transferred to another member and the Team Owner does not need to be present for a team to play in a Premier match.

When the team assembles to queue for Premier, the Party Leader is responsible for starting the queue as well as the banning of maps during Playoffs. 

Team Hub

Once your team is set up, you may view the team standings anytime in the Premier Hub. Standings update after each Premier match is completed, showing where you stand compared to the rest in your division. 

The Team Hub is also where you track your team's match history and Premier score, allowing you to review how your team has done in past matches as well as where you currently stand points-wise. 

Full Riot Games documentation on Premier Team Hub.

VALORANT Premier Divisions

There are 6 Premier Divisions from which your team will be assigned to one. They are:

Team Placement

When assembling members for the team, there are no restrictions related to individual Competitive Rank as long as they meet the above eligibility requirements for Premier (i.e. your team can have an Iron, a Gold, and an Immortal in the same team). 

However, when the team queues up for their first Premier match, they will be locked in a division based on the MMR of their top 5 players. This lock applies for the division and zone and will remain for the entire Stage run. 

Once your team's division is locked, only players that will not cause the team to change divisions can be invited. 

Individual players who previously participated in Premier will see their match history and Premier MMR carry over. The team's Premier Score, however, will be reset with each new Stage. 

Contender and Invite Division

Added from Episode 9, Act 1, the Invite Division serves as the bridge between Premier and professional play and is fed directly from the Contender Division. 

The Invite Division differs from the previous divisions in that only Contender Eligible players can be added to Invite Division teams. This is to ensure a high-skill level as the final step before professional play. 

Contender Eligibility

• Played in previous stages at a high level
• Achieved Immortal 3 rank or higher

Invite Eligibility

One of the following must be achieved:

• Previously played a weekly or playoff match on a team in Contender or Invite
• Reached Immortal 3 rank or higher
• Played a Playoff match in Elite 5

Premier to Challengers

Finishing as one of the top teams in the Invite Division can earn your team a slot in one of the Challengers Leagues in your region, depending on factors such as Premier Score, number of weekly matches played and round differential. 

Full Riot Games documentation on Contender and Invite Divisions/Teams. 

VALORANT Premier Zones

When creating a team, take note of the Zone. This determines both the ping range your team will play in as well as the servers available for queue when Premier begins. You ideally want to select a zone with the best ping for the majority of your team members. 

VALORANT Premier Playoffs

Earning at least 600 Premier Score qualifies your team for Playoffs. Teams with higher Premier Scores will earn better seeding in Playoffs. 

Every Playoff-qualified team within the division that queues up when the Playoffs queue window opens will be sorted into brackets of up to 8 teams. A bracket can start with as few as 2 teams depending on how many queue. 

• Single-elimination
• Bo1
• 1 to 3 matches
• Map Pick/Ban enabled

Map Pick/Ban Introduced

Unlike the weekly Stage matches, teams in Playoffs have to contend with the pick/ban system. Instead of only having to prep one map a week, your team will need a more solid map pool. 

Members on the team can vote on which map to ban and the Party Leader will lock in the team's choice. This alternates until one map remains at which time the team the did not perform the final map ban gets to select the side to start on, Attack or Defense. 

The map pool for Playoffs will be the active map pool for the act. Check here to refer. 

Substitutes

Teams in the Contender and Invite Division can sub players from their roster in and out between Playoff matches. Teams in Elite and below will have to keep the 5-man lineup throughout Playoffs. 

VALORANT Premier Rewards

Among all the VALORANT game modes, Premier holds the distinction as one of the only to offer unique rewards for progression.

Team Tags

When a Premier team is first created, a team tag is chosen. Once a team member has participated in 2 weekly matches or 1 Playoffs match, the team tag becomes visible. 

If the player leaves the team or the team is inactive for 2 consecutive stages, the Team Tag becomes hidden again. 

Plating

A custom Player Card border earned at the same time as Team Tags. There are two variants — Basic and Playoff Qualified. Just like Team Tags, play 2 weekly matches or one Playoffs match to unlock the Basic Plating. 

If the player leaves the team or the team is inactive for 2 consecutive stages, the Plating becomes hidden again.

Champion's Aura

Winning Playoffs will grant every member on your roster the Champion's Aura — adding a literal glow to your player card. 

You keep the Champion's Aura from the moment you win Playoffs to the end of the following Stage. The aura will show in most places where your Player Card is visible, including the lobby, pre-game loading screen and in-game combat report. 

Other Rewards

Every player that participates in Premier earns a Player Card unique to that Stage. Winning a Premier Playoff earns you a unique Player Title and Gun Buddy. 

Full Riot Games documentation on Premier Rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Premier Stage last?

A Premier Stage lasts 7 weeks.

I played Premier in a previous Stage. What carries over?

Your match history, roster, and MMR carry over.

How do I become eligible for Premier?

Verify your account with SMS verification and ensure you have earned a rank at some point in your account's lifetime.

Are there restrictions on who I can be on a team with?

Not before your first Premier weekly match. Once you play your first match, you can only add players who will not alter your team's division. 

Can I cancel team invites/remove teammates?

The Team Owner and Captains can cancel team invites and remove teammates.

How many people can be on a Premier team?

Up to 7 players can be on a Premier team. 

How many Premier matches can I play per week?

Your team can play up to 2 Premier matches a week. 

How do I know what map we're playing this week?

The Premier schedule for the current Stage is visible on the hub, informing what map is up each week.

How does my team qualify for Playoffs?

Your team qualifies for Playoffs by earning at least 600 Premier Score. 

What happens if I win Playoffs?

You earn a Champion's Aura, Player Title and Gun Buddy. 

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games