The 2025 VCT Pacific Kickoff event will feature 12 teams competing for two spots at VALORANT Masters Bangkok.
SOUTH KOREA – Riot Games has confirmed via VALORANTEsports.com the first-round matchups and schedule for the 2025 VCT Pacific Kickoff event.
Slated to begin from January 18 to February 9, VCT Pacific Kickoff will feature a best-of-three double-elimination bracket for teams to play, with the top two teams advancing to the grand finals also earning spots at VALORANT Masters Bangkok. The event will return to Seoul’s iconic Sangam Colosseum, which also hosted the entire 2023 VCT Pacific season.
Seeding for the Kickoff event was based on the results of VALORANT Champions Seoul and VCT Ascension Pacific. The four qualifying Champions Seoul teams from the region have been placed in the second round of the Upper Brackets, while the two teams from Ascension 2024 will be placed on opposite sides of the bracket, with the remaining teams randomly drawn.
ALSO READ: VCT Pacific Spotlight Series announced featuring PRX, DRX, ZETA, XIPTO x GE
On the opening day, January 18, newly-promoted Ascension team BOOM Esports will face off against Korean superteam in T1, who recently claimed victory at Red Bull Home Ground #5 in Berlin. The winner of this match will then go on to face Paper Rex, the VALORANT Radiant Asia Invitational champions, in the next round on Monday, January 20.
The same Saturday will feature a matchup between Ascension 2024 champions Nongshim RedForce (formerly Sin Prisa Gaming) and ZETA DIVISION, who have now integrated the core members of FENNEL from Challengers Japan. The winner of this match will advance to the next round, where DRX will be waiting.
A Filipino derby will take place on Sunday, with Team Secret facing off against Global Esports. However, GE will be without one of their key players, Mark “patrickWHO” Musni, who will likely miss the Kickoff event due to visa issues, reported by Tanmay. He will be temporarily replaced by Derrick “Deryeon” Yee, a former Bleed Esports player who is currently competing with Disguised in Challengers SEA. Talon Esports will be waiting in the next round for whoever comes out on top.
The first round will close with a matchup between Rex Regum Qeon and the newly-revamped DetonatioN FocusMe team, who recently reached the grand finals of the VALORANT Radiant Asia Invitational. The winner will move on to face Gen.G in the next round of that bracket.
The opening round schedule is as follows (time in GMT+8):
Saturday, January 18, 2025
- 16:00 – BOOM Esports vs. T1
- 18:00 – ZETA DIVISION vs. Nongshim RedForce
Sunday, January 19, 2025
- 16:00 – Global Esports vs. Team Secret
- 18:00 – DetonatioN FocusMe vs. Rex Regum Qeon
Monday, January 20, 2025
- 16:00 – ZETA/NS vs. DRX
- 18:00 – BOOM/T1 vs. Paper Rex
Saturday, January 25, 2025
- 16:00 – GE/TS vs. Talon Esports
- 18:00 – DFM/RRQ vs. Gen.G
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
