© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
We will be rolling out our new VCT 2027 structure soon! If you haven’t seen it already, you can catch up on our new structure here.
But to recap, we are replacing Stage 1 and Stage 2 tournaments with two Cups that lead up into global events, i.e. Masters Valencia and Champions Austin.
We’ll be keeping our Kickoff tournament at the beginning of the year that qualifies teams to Masters Seoul, but will add a new Kickoff qualifier in each region.
But most importantly, we’re introducing regional Opens and bringing more VALORANT Esports opportunities directly to our regions!
As we’ve seen over the past few years, there are so many homegrown stars just waiting for a chance to prove themselves.
So the changes for VCT in 2027 are intended to foster a truly open, merit-based ecosystem where every team, even non-partnered teams and Premier teams, have a chance to make it to the top.
We know you have questions about what this all looks like for APAC, so let’s dive in!
Overview of Kickoff and Cups
Kickoff and Cups represent the pinnacle of VCT Pacific where 12 of the best teams from across Asia Pacific will compete in fully LAN competitions for qualification to global events - Masters Seoul, Masters Valencia and Champions Austin.
Cups and Kickoff are also where financial support kicks in. Apart from enabling teams to fight for a share of the prize pool, any Open team that qualifies for either Kickoff or Cups will be given a fixed payout of US$ 100,000 per event.
The goal is to reward strong performance with meaningful support, regardless of partnership status.
We’ll also be hosting Kickoff and Cups in 3 different cities next year!
As we announced at Champions Shanghai this year, VCT Pacific 2027 will bring Kickoff to Bangkok, Thailand, Cup 1 to Manila, Philippines and Cup 2 to Tokyo, Japan.
How many regions do we have in APAC? And how many slots do they get to Cups?
We will have 6 regions with direct slots into our Cups - Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia. Here’s how slots will be distributed:
South Asia and Oceania will have a pathway to Cups via a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). Read on for more of this later.
APAC is unique in that we have the largest number of regions to accommodate in all of the VCT. So our regional structure is designed to create multiple paths and opportunities for teams to make it to Cups. Our slot allocations are also structured in a way to guarantee Open teams have a chance to qualify for Cups, even if every partner team in their region also qualifies.
How does qualification and slots work for Kickoff?
Slots to Kickoff will be structured differently since this is the only tournament where partnered teams are guaranteed a slot.
Kickoff will be structured as a 12-team tournament: 8 partner teams and 4 Open teams.
To qualify, Open teams will play through a series of Open Qualifiers to reach Playoffs in selected regions:
The top 3 teams from Kickoff will qualify for Masters 1.
Our 2027 Kickoff Qualifiers will begin later this year, so stay tuned for more!
How do regions qualify for Cups?
In the new VCT there are multiple paths to pro!
But the only way to qualify for Cups is through regional Playoffs.
Teams will fight through a combination of several Open Qualifiers and / or Play-ins to make it there. Let’s go through them step-by-step.
Open Qualifiers
This is where most of our open teams will begin their journeys.
Multiple Open Qualifiers will run in each region, allowing teams to earn a place in their regional Playoffs. All teams that meet our criteria are welcome to join.
And if a team doesn’t make it the first time, don’t worry! Teams are welcome to sign up for the next available Open Qualifier in their region and try again.
Our intention is to give teams multiple opportunities to qualify. And for our smaller teams, we hope Open Qualifiers will serve as a practice ground to hone your skills and climb the ranks.
Play-Ins
Play-ins will determine which teams are seeded into the Top 4 at the regional Playoffs.
But this number could change depending on regional representation at global events! Any team who makes it to Masters Seoul or Masters Valencia will automatically be seeded into the Top 4 of their next Playoff.
So for example, if 2 Thai teams make it to Masters Seoul, that means the next Thai Play-ins would qualify 2 teams to the Thailand Playoffs.
So who gets to compete in the Play-ins?
Teams can qualify through our designated Open Qualifiers. Additionally, teams that make it to Kickoff or Cup 1 will automatically get a spot in Play-ins 1 or 2.
But just because a team doesn’t qualify for Playoffs through Play-ins does not mean they have lost their chance entirely.
Teams can still sign up for the next available Open Qualifier. Because in the new VCT, there is always more than 1 chance!
Playoffs
Teams who make it through Open Qualifiers and / or Play-ins will secure a spot at their regional Playoffs.
At Playoffs, 8 of the best teams in each region will compete for a place in Cups. Nothing is guaranteed. Only the best teams will be rewarded.
Note that teams who make it to Masters will be seeded directly into their respective regional Playoffs, allowing them to skip over Open Qualifiers and Play-ins. Direct seeding only applies to the regional Playoffs associated with the preceding Masters event.
Teams will not only be competing to go to our Cups, but they will also be fighting for a fixed payment of US$ 100,000 if they qualify.
Last Chance Qualifier
With so many regions in APAC, we wanted to make sure there were viable paths-to-pro for all our communities, even if they do not have a direct slot to Cups. So this is where our Pacific Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) comes in.
Taking place right after the Playoffs, the Pacific LCQ will feature 8 teams, including 2 from South Asia, 1 from Oceania, the 2nd seed team from Playoffs in Vietnam, and the 2nd and 3rd seed teams from Thailand and Indonesia.
The winner of the Pacific LCQ will secure the final slot at our Cups.
As mentioned above, there will also be a dedicated Kickoff LCQ each year, but it will feature a smaller number of teams - 4 in total, including 2 from South Asia, 1 from Oceania, and the runner up from the SEA Kickoff Playoffs tournament.
How do partnered teams fit into the new VCT?
We are happy to have introduced 8 leading organizations from Asia Pacific to join us as partnered teams for the next chapter of VCT! Click here to catch up on who our VCT Pacific partnered teams will be next year.
While these teams will be fighting to represent their regions in Cups and global events, our ecosystem ultimately aims to reward performance, regardless of whether a team is partnered or not. In our new merit-based system, every match matters and qualification is determined by competitive results.
Partnered teams will have automatic slots to Kickoff. But, this is the only guaranteed slot they’ll be given!
If a partnered team does not qualify for Masters 1 from Kickoff or Masters 2 from Manila Cup, they will drop down to the Play-ins tournament. And if they finish at the bottom of that tourney, they will have to fight through Open Qualifiers like every other team.
However, if they perform well at the Play-ins, they will be seeded into a higher bracket in their respective regional Playoffs.
Any team, regardless of partner status, who makes it to Masters Seoul or Masters Valencia will get to skip the Open Qualifiers and Play-ins and will be placed directly in their next regional Playoffs.
So what’s next?
We will be announcing our regional Kickoff Open Qualifiers soon! So stay tuned for that.
Thank you for your passion and hope you’re just as excited as we are for the upcoming 2027 season!
