The road to VCT Pacific 2026 is currently underway, with all 12 teams announcing their new rosters. Multiple teams have made significant changes to their VALORANT lineups leading upto the tournament. The first tournament of the VCT Pacific League, VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026, is only a month away. On their website, VALORANT has released a wealth of information regarding the new format for the upcoming season. Let’s take an in-depth look at the changes fans can expect in VCT Pacific 2026.
Image credit: Riot Games
VCT Pacific is one of the four regional partnership leagues within the VALORANT esports ecosystem. A total of 12 teams from around Asia and the Pacific will participate in the year-long league. In the 2026 season, teams like Full Sense and VARREL are expected to participate in the league. The 2026 VALORANT roster of VARREL will consist of players who were a part of SLT Seongnam during VCT Pacific Ascension 2025.
VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 will take place in South Korea from January 22nd. The grand finals of the tournament will be concluded on February 15th. During the 2025 season, DRX were the champions of VCT Pacific Kickoff 2025 with T1 being the runner-ups. Interestingly, the reigning champions, DRX, have retained all the players from their 2025 roster, making them one of the favourites at the event.
In the upcoming season of VCT Pacific, Kickoff will use a triple-bracket format for the first time. This means that teams must lose 3 times to be eliminated from the tournament. In previous editions, the tournament was played in a double-bracket format. Teams that qualified for VALORANT Champions during the 2025 season will receive a bye in the Upper Bracket. The top 3 teams from VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 will qualify for VALORANT Masters Santiago in Chile, which will take place from February 28 to March 15.
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After the completion of Masters Santiago, a top VALORANT betting event, VCT Pacific Stage One will take place. The tournament will take place between April 3 and May 17. The group stage will be a single-round robin format, with the 12 teams drawn into two groups of 6. The top four teams from each group will qualify for the tournament’s playoff phase.
The VCT Pacific Stage One playoffs will be held in a double-elimination bracket. This is similar to last season, when the team that finished first in their respective group received a bye in the Upper Bracket. The lower bracket and grand finals will be a best-of-5 series, while the rest of the games will be a best-of-3 series. The top 3 teams from VCT Pacific Stage One will qualify for VALORANT Masters London. VALORANT Masters London will take place between June 6 and June 21. It must be noted that teams will receive Championship points based on the number of wins and their standing during VCT Pacific Stage One.
Image credit: Riot Games
Following the conclusion of VALORANT Masters London, the 12 teams from VCT Pacific will compete in the new VCT Pacific Stage Two, scheduled between July 16 to September 6, 2026. This season will introduce a new play-in stage. Teams will again be split into two groups of six, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the tournament’s playoff stage.
The remaining eight teams will take part in the play-in stage of the tournament. They will be joined by four teams from the VALORANT Challengers Leagues in the Pacific region. The top four teams from the play-ins phase will secure qualification for the playoffs. Similar to VCT Pacific Stage one, the tournament will be in a double-bracket format.
The top two teams from this event will qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026. Additionally, two more teams will secure their places in VALORANT Champions 2026 based on the Championship points they have accumulated throughout the year.
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