The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2026: Pacific Kickoff features changes on multiple fronts. The arrival of Full Sense and the newly branded VARREL brings new energy to the league, even as fans are nostalgic about the departing teams.

To top it off, a new triple-elimination format will shake up the competition, adding extra matches and more challenging qualification paths to Masters. Here’s everything to know about the VCT 2026 Pacific Kickoff, including the schedule, format, teams, and how to tune into the action. 

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff Dates & Location

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff will take place from January 22 to February 15, 2026, and will be held at the Sangam Colosseum in Seoul, South Korea. 

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff Schedule

The complete match schedule hasn’t been released yet, but the tournament will run for more than three weeks, with Upper Bracket matches already confirmed. All announced matches are listed below and will follow a consistent opening time each day.

• M1 – Nongshim RedForce vs. Team Secret
• M2 – ZETA DIVISION vs. Full Sense
• M3 – VARREL vs. Global Esports
• M4 – DetonatioN FocusMe vs. Gen.G Esports
• M5 – T1 vs. the winner of M1
• M6 – DRX vs. the winner of M2
• M7 – Paper Rex vs. the winner of M3
• M8 – Rex Regum Qeon vs. the winner of M4

The opening matches are confirmed to start at 12 AM (midnight) PT | 3 AM ET | 8 AM GMT | 3 PM GMT+7.

Note: You can follow the official VCT Pacific account on X for official fixtures and updates.

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff Format

As outlined in the VCT 2026 roadmap, VCT Pacific Kickoff will adopt a triple-elimination format, meaning teams can lose up to three times before being eliminated.

The four teams that qualified to VALORANT Champions Paris (T1, DRX, Paper Rex, and Rex Regum Qeon) have received byes into Upper Bracket Round 2, but the remaining teams will enter from Upper Bracket Round 1 via a random draw.

The winners of the Round 1 matches will advance to the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, where they will play against the Champions 2025 teams. After their first loss, teams move into the Middle Bracket. A second defeat sends them down to the Lower Bracket, and a third loss knocks them out of the tournament entirely.

The new structure expands the tournament with more matches and even greater opportunities for surprise runs. At the end of Kickoff, the winners of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Brackets will earn the #1, #2, and #3 seeds, respectively, for VALORANT Masters Santiago.

Prize Pool Distribution

Riot has not announced a prize pool for VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff. Instead, the top four teams will earn Championship Points that contribute to the season-long standings, with the top two teams on the regional leaderboard qualifying for VALORANT Champions 2026.

The points breakdown is as follows:

Teams Competing At VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff

Twelve VALORANT teams from the Pacific region will battle in the opening event, including ten franchised teams and two qualifiers from VCT Pacific Ascension.

• DRX
• Gen.G Esports
• Global Esports
• DetonatioN FocusMe 
• Rex Regum Qeon
• Paper Rex
• ZETA DIVISION
• Team Secret
• T1
• Full Sense ¹
• VARREL ² (Ascension 2025) 
• Nongshim RedForce (Ascension 2025) 

Note: ¹ On November 18, Full Sense joined VCT Pacific, replacing Talon Esports after it failed to comply with the league standards. ² SLT Seongnam will compete as VARREL this season following the roster’s acquisition by the Japanese organization. 

How To Watch VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff will be broadcast in nine different languages, including English, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Mandarin, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.

You can watch all live action for English broadcasts on VALORANT Pacific’s official Twitch, YouTube, and VALORANT Esports’ SOOP channels.

Tickets

Tickets to attend VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff are not available yet.

FAQs

When and where will the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff take place?

VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff will be held from January 22 to February 15, 2026, at the Sangam Colosseum in Seoul, South Korea.

Has the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff format changed?

Yes. The VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff introduces a brand-new triple-elimination format, promising more games and heightened excitement for Pacific fans.

How to buy tickets for the Pacific Kickoff live event?

The tournament organizers have not announced ticket details for VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff yet.

What are the strong teams to watch during the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff?

According to the VALORANT Global Power Ranking (GPR) on December 17, 2025, the top three teams to watch at VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff are DRX (#3), Paper Rex (#5), and Rex Regum Qeon (#8).

How can I watch the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff live online?

All VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff matches will be broadcast live on the tournament organizer’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, with regional simulcasts available on SOOP. 

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