The playoffs stage of VCT Pacific is finally here. The top eight teams that will be taking part in this phase of the tournament have been confirmed, along with their seeding. Following the upper-bracket first-round victory, Global Esports is all set to face off against Paper Rex. The winner of this match will secure the first spot of VCT Pacific at VALORANT Masters London.
It does feel like Paper Rex and Global Esports are destined to face off against each other in every other tournament. During VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026, they played against each other twice.
Both games ended with a scoreline of 2-1 in favor of Paper Rex. The second loss was the reason Global Esports got eliminated from that event.
During the group stage of VCT Pacific Stage 1, PRX and Global Esports were seeded into Group Alpha. They once again faced off against each other. This time, the fixture was a one-sided affair with Global Esports getting demolished 2-0. Paper Rex went on to defeat Kiwoom DRX and finish as the top seed from the group.
Until now, in VCT Esports, GE has never defeated Paper Rex. This has become one of the longest win streaks a team has ever had within the VALORANT esports ecosystem. Now, the two teams face off against once again in the playoffs stage of this competition.
This is one of those fixtures where it truly feels like a battle between David vs Goliath. Paper Rex are on a nine-game winning streak. A streak that has been alive since October 2021.
This season itself, Global Esports has lost three times to Paper Rex. It must be stated that in the four years of VCT Pacific, this has been the best GE roster one has seen. Due to all of these stats, the betting odds for this match majorly favor Paper Rex winning this game with ease.
Till now, in the seven maps played, Paper Rex has a record of 6-1 against Global Esports. The only map on which Global Esports defeated Paper Rex was on Split, but in the recent match, they were defeated 13-8.
One player from Paper Rex everyone must keep their eye out for is Ilya “something” Petrov. In the VCT 2026 season, he has a 64.5% first blood success rate in the three matches against Global Esports.
We believe that the deciding factor of this match will all lie in the hands of one player: John Patrick “PatMen” Ramos Mendoza. PatMen was previously a part of Paper Rex in the VCT 2025 season, having helped the team win VALORANT Masters Toronto.
In our eyes, Global Esports has two major win conditions for this match. The first being if PatMen can lock in and perform in the same manner he did against Paper Rex during VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026. The other win condition is if Global Esports wins more than four pistol rounds in this fixture.
Our prediction for this match is that Global Esports will win 2-1.
Also read: Eternal Fire vs Team Heretics betting odds, prediction, and preview: VCT EMEA Stage 1 playoffs
Featured image source: Riot Games
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
