Details about the VCT 2026 Pacific Kickoff

The VCT Pacific Kickoff marks the start of the 2026 VALORANT season. This event, organized by Riot Games, is scheduled to take place from January 22 to February 15, 2026. It will be held offline at the Sangam Colosseum / SOOP Sangam Coliseum, located in Seoul, South Korea. The event will see twelve teams from the Pacific region vying for Championship Points and the chance to secure three spots in the Masters competition.

Format of the Event

The VCT Pacific Kickoff adopts a triple-elimination structure for the playoffs, a format that’s not often seen in VALORANT tournaments. Only after experiencing three series losses will a team be eliminated. In terms of match format, most matches are comprised of a best-of-three (Bo3) series, with the Upper Bracket Final, Mid Bracket Final, and Lower Bracket Final games being best-of-five (Bo5). The four teams that made it to the VCT 2025 Champions, namely Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, T1, and DRX, will start in Round 2 of the Upper Bracket, thus skipping Round 1.

Qualification and Scoring System

The stakes of this tournament are high as the top 3 teams from the event will directly qualify for VALORANT Masters Santiago, the first international event to be hosted in Santiago, Chile. Performance at the Pacific Kickoff also impacts a team’s seasonal rankings. The first place finisher will bag 4 points, followed by 3 points for the second place team, and 2 points for the third. The fourth place team will earn 1 point. At this point, point allocation beyond the fourth position is yet to be decided.

Participating Teams

The participating teams include ten long-term partner organizations and two ascended teams – Nongshim RedForce and VARREL. While some of the rosters are yet to be finalized, DRX stands out as a team undergoing last-minute changes due to Flashback’s retirement. The Pacific league structure is one part of the four international leagues comprising of Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China.

The Full 2026 VCT Season

The Pacific Kickoff tournament makes up the first part of the VCT season. Post this, the VCT Masters Santiago will be hosted from late February to mid-March. Following this, stage 1 and stage 2 of the International Leagues will commence and continue throughout spring and summer. Furthermore, the Kickoff results will contribute towards securing points and building momentum for the later Masters and Champions events that constitute the rest of the season.

Broadcast Details and Tickets

Tickets for the event can be purchased from NOL Ticket, with access options for international fans through NOL World. Those unable to attend the event can tune in to the live broadcasts available on SOOP’s official VALORANT channel, Chzzk (VALORANT Korea), or VCT KR’s YouTube channel.