The upper bracket of VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 is nearly finished. All 12 teams in the tournament have completed their respective matches. The ones that lost got pushed into the middle bracket. The last two teams that remain in the upper bracket will now face off in the Upper Finals of VCT Pacific Kickoff. The two teams participating in the finals are RRQ and Nongshim RedForce. In this VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 Upper Finals preview, we take a look at the matches and which team is the favorite to win the Upper Finals and will secure qualification for VCT Masters Santiago 2026.
The Upper Finals of VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026 will take place on February 13th. The match will take place between RRQ and Nongshim RedForce in a best-of-five series. RRQ had received a bye to the second round of the upper bracket of VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026. The reason for this was that the team qualified for VALORANT Champions 2025.
Going into the 2026 season, RRQ didn’t make any changes to its playing roster. They did make a change in the coaching staff with Jovanni “Jovi” Vera becoming the new head coach for the team.
In their first two matches, RRQ dominated the likes of Detonation FocusMe and Paper Rex. Paper Rex was one of the favorites to make it to VALORANT Masters Santiago, but RRQ defeated them in a clean sweep 2-0 victory.
Before VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026, Nongshim RedForce’s spot in VCT Pacific was uncertain. After failing to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2025, they needed to win VCT Ascension Pacific 2025 to secure their spot in the 2026 season.
Nonghsim RedForce did go on to win VCT Ascension Pacific 2025. In their run to the Upper Finals of VCT Pacific Kickoff, they defeated the likes of Team Secret, Full Sense, and T1.
Image: Riot Games
If we take a look at the two teams facing off against each other, RRQ would seem the favorites to win the tie. Many factors are working in favor of RRQ:
Jemkin has made the switch to both Neon and Chamber in this tournament. This switch has made him have 0.26 first kills per round, the highest by any player at the tournament. In the past, Jemkin has been able to showcase his ability to overwhelm the enemies by securing the first kill of a round.
Nongshim Redforce just has one player on the list of top performers, and it is Dambi. In this tournament, Dambi has only played as Neon in all 3 games. Prior to the Upper Bracker Finals, Dambi is averaging 0.95 kills per round, the second highest by any player in the tournament. At the same time, he has a clutch success rate of 33%.
For Nongshim RedForce to win, they will need to make sure that they start off on the stronger foot:
The best way to make this possible is by making sure they aren’t taking 1v1 duels against him. On the other hand, by delaying their execution, they could make Monyet and Jemkin overcommit, resulting in them getting picked off.
The VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff upper bracket. Image credit: Riot Games
For RRQ to win, they will need to continue what they have been doing for the better part of this tournament. Until now, they haven’t lost a single map during VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026.
We must add that Monyet, the primary flex of the team, hasn’t been on the best form this tournament. Known for his aggressive plays, if he gets into his groove in the Upper Finals, RRQ would be quite a tough beast to stop.
If you would like more information on other matches, you can check out our predictions for the VCT EMEA and VCT Americas Kickoff 2026 Upper Finals.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
