New Delhi, April 2026.
The VALORANT Campus Cup (VCC) wrapped its
inaugural edition with a Grand Finale that brought the best of India’s college
gaming scene to a single national stage. Held on March 30–31, 2026, at the
JioGames Innovation Centre at Chitkara University, Punjab, the finale saw JECRC
University, Jaipur claim the national title, defeating PES University,
Bangalore in the deciding match. The programme, a collaboration between Riot
Games and JioGames, drew participation from 32 institutions across the country,
establishing itself as one of the most substantial structured collegiate
esports engagements India has seen to date.
The turnout said it all:
• 2500 individual player registrations
• 512 teams competing across campuses nationwide
• 32 institutions represented at the Grand
Finale
• ~90,000 total views across online and offline
broadcast
• ₹5,00,000 prize pool — ₹2,50,000 for the
national champion; ₹1,50,000 for runners-up, and ₹1,00,000 for second runner up
“The VALORANT Campus Cup reinforced a clear shift
that grassroots competitive play on
Indian campuses is not only growing, it’s becoming more structured and
intentional. With 2500 players across 32 institutions, what stood out was the
level of preparation and competitive mindset players brought to the tournament.
Campuses are increasingly becoming the starting point
for the next generation of VALORANT talent, and VCC showed how strong that
pipeline can be when given the right platform. Our focus now is to continue
strengthening the grassroots ecosystem, building clearer pathways, and more
opportunities for players to compete and grow.” said Anushka Bhatnagar, Publishing Lead at Riot
Games.
The initiative was built with ecosystem support from MSI, CyberPowerPC, and Ant
Esports, ensuring standardised competitive conditions hardware, infrastructure,
and broadcast across every participating campus, regardless of location or
size.
All matches were broadcasted live on the
JioGames platform and associated digital channels, bringing the competition to
audiences well beyond the venue. These matches can be accessed here.
The VALORANT Campus Cup is a grassroots esports programme focused on bringing
structured competition directly to college campuses across India and South
Asia. Spanning across cities, VCC is built to reach early-stage competitors who
represent the next generation of VALORANT players. The programme's core purpose
is straightforward: meet players where they are, give them a real competitive
format, and strengthen the cultural footprint of the game at the ground level.