VALORANT Esports | VCT PACIFIC 2026 SEASON PRIMER

We hope you're ready for VCT Pacific 2026!

With our 2025 season having delivered explosive rivalries, dramatic swings, and standout individual plays, we are hyped to see what the next year will bring.

Join us as we get ready for another year of intense matches where teams battle for spots at global events and a share of the USD 250,000 prize pool.

WHAT’S NEW IN 2026

There are plenty of changes coming to the Pacific this year. First up, we welcome Full Sense to VCT Pacific, as they replace TALON Esports for the 2026 season. We also have two teams who have earned their place through Ascension Pacific 2025 joining the VCT Pacific lineup for 2026. We’ve got a familiar face, Nongshim RedForce, and a new challenger, VARREL joining us.

Next, we’ve got the Challengers Path to Champions, with Challengers teams now having the opportunity to fight for slots at the VCT Pacific Stage 2 Playoffs, leading to Champions. Read HERE for a recap on the details.

Once more, Championship Points will be back in 2026. The top two teams on the points leaderboard will qualify for Champions, alongside the top two teams from Stage 2 Playoffs. We want to continue rewarding teams that stay strong and consistent throughout the season.

We’re also making some tweaks to the format at each stage, and we’ll dive deeper into detail below.

KICKOFF

Our season begins with VCT Pacific Kickoff from 22 January to 15 February. For the first time ever, we’ll be structuring Kickoff as a triple elimination bracket. This means teams have 3 strikes before they’re out.

The top 4 teams who qualified for Champions 2025 will receive a first round bye in the Upper Bracket. The rest of the teams will be placed through a random draw.

The top 3 teams will advance to Masters Santiago, the first VCT global event of the year.

This new format will give teams more play time, and reduce the downtime between Kickoff and Stage 1, especially for teams that don’t qualify for Masters Santiago.

STAGE 1

Following Masters Santiago, teams return to VCT Pacific for Stage 1 from 3 April to 17 May.

Groups

12 teams will be drawn into 2 groups of 6, and will play through a single round robin Best-of-3 (Bo3) within their group. The top 4 teams from each group will then advance to Stage 1 Playoffs.

Playoffs

In the Playoffs, the 8 remaining teams will compete in a Bo3 double elimination bracket, with a Best-of-5 (Bo5) played during the Lower Finals and Grand Finals. The first placed team from each Stage 1 group will earn a first round bye in the Upper Bracket, while the fourth placed team from their respective groups will begin their Playoffs run from the Lower Bracket.

The top 3 teams from Stage 1 Playoffs will qualify for Masters London.

STAGE 2

After Masters London, teams return to international league action with VCT Pacific Stage 2 taking place from 16 July to 6 September.

Groups

Teams will be drawn into 2 groups of 6, and once again play through a single round robin Bo3 across 4 weeks. The top 2 teams from each group will advance directly to Stage 2 Playoffs.

Play-Ins

Meanwhile, the remaining 8 teams (those placing 3rd to 6th in their groups) move to the Play-In stage, where they will be joined by the 4 teams from the Challengers leagues. These 12 teams will compete in a double elimination bracket, with the third and fourth placed teams from each Stage 2 Groups earning a first round bye in the Upper Bracket.

The top 4 teams from Play-Ins will also advance to Stage 2 Playoffs.

Playoffs

The final 8 teams will battle through a Bo3 double elimination bracket, with Bo5s played during the Lower Finals and Grand Finals.

The first placed teams from Stage 2 Groups will receive first round byes in the Upper Bracket, while the third and fourth place teams from Play-Ins start in the Lower Bracket.

At the end of Stage 2, the top 2 teams will advance to Champions 2026, where they will be joined by two more teams that qualified via Championship points accumulated throughout the season.

Besides qualification for Champions Shanghai, teams are also fighting to be crowned the next VCT Pacific champions!

SCHEDULE

VCT Pacific will run across three stages again this year:

Kickoff: 22 January to 15 February
Stage 1: 3 April to 17 May
Stage 2: 16 July to 6 September

Matches will begin at 15:00 GMT+7 // 16:00 GMT+8 // 17:00 GMT+9 each matchday.

The schedule for VCT Pacific can be found at VALORANTESPORTS.com and will be routinely updated throughout the event.

WHERE TO WATCH
Brought to you by Acer, Intel, Pulsar, Red Bull, and ZOWIE, fans can also catch VCT Pacific Kickoff action through local language broadcasts at the following links:

English

Korean

Japanese

Twitch: VALORANT JP
YouTube: VALORANT JP

Bahasa Indonesia

Thai

Vietnamese

YouTube: VALORANTesportsVN

Mandarin

Twitch: VALORANT TW
YouTube:VALORANTesportsTW

Hindi

YouTube: VALORANTinsa

VCT PACIFIC 2026 SEASON PRIMER

New Season Kicks Off 22 January!