**Riot Games addressed persistent mouse interference and input issues during the VALORANT Champions 2026 group stage in Shanghai, traced to metal components in the custom stage desks causing wireless peripheral problems.** Multiple series, including FUT Esports versus 100 Thieves, featured repeated technical pauses—four on a single map in one case—prompting player complaints, a press conference boycott, and debate over round rollbacks under VCT rules. Riot implemented temporary fixes, mandated wired mice for remaining matches, admitted one rollback error while upholding results, and committed to rebuilding desks with different materials ahead of the playoffs. The eight-team double-elimination playoff bracket, running October 7–18 with best-of-three and best-of-five series, began after these measures, shifting focus to whether hardware changes and venue adjustments have reduced disruptions in the remaining upper- and lower-bracket matches.