2026 VCT Pacific Kickoff: Schedule, opening matches and format

The 2026 VCT Pacific Kickoff will serve as the opening event of the season, bringing together the best teams from across the region.

Taking place from January 22nd to February 15th, the tournament will feature 10 partnered organisations and two Ascension squads competing at the Sangam Colosseum in South Korea for a place at VALORANT Masters Santiago.

Riot Games has revealed the detailed format for the upcoming VCT Pacific Kickoff, along with the opening matches, which can be found below.

In line with other International Leagues, the Pacific Kickoff will adopt a newly introduced triple-elimination format, consisting of three brackets – upper, middle, and lower.

Organisations including T1, Paper Rex, DRX, and RRQ will get a direct bye to the second round of the upper bracket, thanks to the team’s VALORANT Champions 2025 qualification. The rest of the teams will begin the season in the first round.

Here are the event’s opening matchups; however, exact dates and timings have yet to be announced:

After three weeks of competition, the winners of the upper, middle, and lower brackets will represent the Pacific region at Masters Santiago, scheduled to run from February 28th to March 15th.

Moreover, the top four teams at VCT Pacific Kickoff will also earn crucial Championship Points, which will contribute towards qualification for VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai:

The event will be broadcast on VCT Pacific’s official Twitch and YouTube channels; however, fans can also tune into their favourite content creators’ livestreams to watch the matches.