The first event of the VCT 2026 is Kickoff. It’s a regional tournament, where teams compete to qualify for the first global event of the year, Masters Santiago. If you’re interested in everything that’s happening during the 2026 Kickoff in the Pacific region, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything you need to know about the VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff schedule, standings, teams, new format, and a lot more.
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All teams in VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff
12 teams are competing in Kickoff Pacific for three qualification spots to Masters Santiago. There have been a few last-minute changes to the team lineup at the end of 2025, but the final bracket includes VARREL, which bought SLT’s roster, and FULL SENSE, which replaced TALON.
Here are all the participating Pacific teams:
- DetonatioN FocusMe
- DRX
- Gen.G Esports
- Global Esports
- Paper Rex
- Rex Regum Qeon
- T1
- VARREL (Ascended)
- Team Secret
- ZETA DIVISION
- Nongshim RedForce (Ascended)
- FULL SENSE
The top 4 teams who qualified for Champions 2025 receive a first-round bye in the upper bracket, which means T1, DRX, PRX, and RRQ are joining the competition in the upper bracket’s quarterfinals.
New triple elimination format
Kickoff 2026 is the first VALORANT event to feature a triple elimination format. In this format, teams can lose up to three matches before going home. Teams start in the upper bracket, and then drop down to the middle and lower brackets with each loss, making it more exciting for viewers and those interested in the esports betting scene.
Each bracket (upper, middle, and lower) has its own finals, and the winning team secures a spot at Masters Santiago. The matches are played in a best-of-three (BO3) format, while the finals, as always, are a best-of-five (BO5).
During Kickoff, top teams can also earn Championship Points. Winner gets four points, second place secures three points, third place gets two points, and fourth place gets one point. At the end of the 2026 season, the two teams with the most points in the region qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai.
How to watch VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff
There are several official channels where you can watch VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff in your preferred language. There are official broadcasts in English, Korean, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Hindi.
Here are all the official channels to watch VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff:
- English
- SOOP: VALORANT_EN
- Twitch: VALORANT Pacific
- YouTube: VCT Pacific
- Korean
- YouTube: VCT KR
- SOOP: VALORANT공식
- Chzzk: 발로란트 코리아
- Japanese
- Twitch: VALORANT JP
- YouTube: VALORANT JP
- Bahasa Indonesia
- SOOP: VALORANT Esports ID
- Twitch: VALORANT ID
- YouTube: VALORANT Esports Indonesia
- Thai
- SOOP: VALORANT Esports TH
- Twitch: VALORANT TH
- YouTube: VALORANTesportsTH
- Vietnamese
- YouTube: VALORANTesportsVN
- Mandarin
- Twitch: VALORANT TW
- YouTube:VALORANTesportsTW
- Hindi
- YouTube: VALORANTinsa
VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff schedule
VCT Pacific 2026 Kickoff starts on Jan. 22 and runs until Feb. 15. The first week is packed with eight matches in the upper bracket, after which the teams start dropping down the middle bracket. The following two weeks are all about the middle and lower brackets, respectively.
During the last week of the competition, expect to see the remaining lower bracket matches as well as three days of finals for each bracket, deciding who is heading to the first Masters of the season.
Jan. 22 (Upper bracket round one)
- 4pm CST: NONGSHIM REDFORCE 2-0 Team Secret
- 6pm CST: ZETA DIVISION 0-2 FULL SENSE
Jan. 23 (Upper bracket round one)
- 4pm CST: VARREL 0-2 GLOBAL ESPORTS
- 6pm CST: Detonation FocusMe 2-0 Gen. G
Jan. 24 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)
- 4pm CST: NONGSHIM REDFORCE 2-1 T1
- 6pm CST: FULL SENSE 2-1 DRX
Jan. 25 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)
- 4pm CST: GLOBAL ESPORTS 1-2 Paper Rex
- 6pm CST: Detonation FocusMe 0-2 Rex Regum Qeon
Jan. 29 (Middle bracket round one)
- 4pm CST: Detonation FocusMe 2-0 Team Secret
- 6pm CST: GLOBAL ESPORTS 2-0 ZETA DIVISION
Jan. 30 (Middle bracket round one)
- 4pm CST: DRX 2-1 VARREL
- 6pm CST: T1 2-1 Gen. G
Jan. 31 (Upper bracket semifinals)
- 4pm CST: FULL SENSE 0-2 NONGSHIM REDFORCE
- 6pm CST: Rex Regum Qeon 2-0 Paper Rex
Feb. 1 (Middle bracket round two)
- 4pm CST: Detonation FocusMe 2-1 GLOBAL ESPORTS
- 6pm CST: DRX 0-2 T1
Feb. 5 (Lower bracket round one)
- 4pm CST: Team Secret 1-2 ZETA DIVISION
- 6pm CST: VARREL 1-2 Gen. G
Feb. 6 (Middle bracket quarterfinals)
- 4pm CST: FULL SENSE 1-2 Detonation FocusMe
- 6pm CST: Paper Rex 1-2 T1
Feb. 7 (Lower bracket round two)
- 4pm CST: ZETA DIVISION 1-2 DRX
- 6pm CST: Gen. G 1-2 GLOBAL ESPORTS
Feb. 8 (Lower bracket round three)
- 4pm CST: DRX 2-0 FULL SENSE
- 6pm CST: GLOBAL ESPORTS 1-2 Paper Rex
Feb. 12 (Lower bracket quarterfinals)
- 4pm CST: DRX 1-2 Paper Rex
Feb. 13 (Upper bracket finals and middle bracket semifinals)
- 3pm CST: T1 2-0 Detonation FocusMe (middle bracket semifinals)
- 5pm CST: Rex Regum Qeon 1-2 NONGSHIM REDFORCE (upper bracket finals)
Feb. 14 (Lower bracket semifinals and middle bracket finals)
- 3pm CST: Detonation FocusMe vs Paper Rex (lower bracket semifinals)
- 5pm CST: TBD vs T1 (middle bracket finals)
Scores and the schedule will be updated as the event progresses.
