VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff: Schedule, Format, and Opening Matches
Riot Games has announced the schedule, format, and opening matches for the VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff, set to launch the VALORANT Champions Tour’s Pacific region from January 22 to February 15, 2026, in Seoul, South Korea.
This S-tier offline tournament at Sangam Colosseum will feature 12 teams competing for three qualification spots to Masters Santiago, the first global VCT event of the year.
New Teams and Roster Changes
The 2026 Pacific lineup introduces fresh faces. Full Sense replaces TALON Esports, which was removed for failing to meet league standards. Two Ascension Pacific 2025 winners, Nongshim RedForce and VARREL (formerly SLT Seongnam), join the 10 partnered teams, including T1, DRX, Paper Rex, and Rex Regum Qeon. Notable roster moves include PatMen joining Global Esports from Paper Rex and DRX reacquiring former players, setting the stage for intense competition.
Triple-Elimination Format
For the first time, VCT Pacific Kickoff adopts a triple elimination bracket, giving teams three losses before elimination.
The format includes Upper, Middle, and Lower Brackets, with most matches played as best of three (BO3) series, except for the Upper, Middle, and Lower Finals, which are best of five. The top four teams from VALORANT Champions 2025, T1, DRX, Paper Rex, and Rex Regum Qeon receive byes to Upper Bracket Round 2, while the remaining eight teams are randomly drawn into Round 1 matchups. The top three teams will qualify for Masters Santiago (February 28–March 15) and earn Championship Points toward VALORANT Champions 2026.
Opening Matches and Schedule
The tournament spans four weeks, with matches starting daily at 9 AM CET / 4 PM CST / 5 PM KST (3 PM GMT+7 / 4 PM GMT+8 / 5 PM GMT+9). Week 1 features eight Upper Bracket matches, with the following Round 1 opening matchups announced:
- Nongshim RedForce vs. Team Secret (winner faces T1)
- ZETA DIVISION vs. Full Sense (winner faces DRX)
- VARREL vs. Global Esports (winner faces Paper Rex)
- DetonatioN FocusMe vs. Gen.G Esports (winner faces Rex Regum Qeon)
Weeks 2 and 3 cover Middle and Lower Bracket rounds, with Week 4 (February 13–15) hosting the Upper, Middle, and Lower Finals. Match days run Tuesday to Friday for Weeks 1–3, shifting to Thursday to Sunday for Week 4, with adjusted start times (5 PM BST Thursday/Sunday, 1 PM BST Friday/Saturday).
Where to Watch
Fans can catch all matches live on VCT Pacific’s official Twitch, YouTube, and SOOP channels, with broadcasts in nine languages: English, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Mandarin, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Since: October 29, 2025
