12 teams will battle it out in VALORANT Challengers SEA Split 1 for the US$100,000 prize pool and Circuit Points leading to Ascension.
SOUTHEAST ASIA – VALORANT Challengers SEA Split 1 kicks off on January 16, bringing together 12 of Southeast Asia’s best Challengers teams to compete for a share of the US$50,000 prize pool and Circuit Points towards VCT Ascension Pacific 2025. Here’s everything you need to know.
The first Challengers tournament of the season kicks off with a Group Stage from January 16 to February 11, where two groups of six teams will compete in a best-of-three format. The top three teams from each group will secure their spots in the playoffs.
Group winners will advance directly to the Upper Bracket Semifinals, while the 2nd and 3rd place teams from each group will compete in the Knockout Round. The first two teams to lose in the Knockout Round will be eliminated, while the winners move on to face the top seed from the Group Stage as the tournament transitions into a double-elimination bracket (February 12-16).
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Six teams from the top six of the 2024 VALORANT Challengers SEA Split 3 had received direct invitations: Disguised (MY/SG), Made in Thailand (TH), Alter Ego (ID), NAOS Esports (PH), FULL SENSE (TH), and ZOL Esports (PH).
There have been some changes since then: Disguised has pulled out of the VALORANT scene, leaving the team without organizational backing and competing as KIMMY KITTENS moving forward.
Made in Thailand has also disbanded, with their core roster (Taned “killua” Teerasawad, Kittikawin “Laz” Jirawatkakan, and Chinnakrit “seph1roth” Phoojaroen) joining domestic rival FULL SENSE, while their spot is now taken by Oblivion Force from the HK/TW region.
NAOS Esports has revamped its roster, adding former FULL SENSE player Kititkawin “PTC” Rattanasukol, former RNT player Sultan “sultan” Akbay, and former ZOL player Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza.
Alter Ego, fresh off their 2025 APAC Predator League victory, has kept their core roster intact while also re-signing former player Adrian “adrnking” Setiawan and adding Willy “sayoo” Ivandra, both of whom previously played under Grayfox Esports and Velocity Gaming in the 2024 season.
Group A:
- FULL SENSE (TH)
- KIMMY KITTENS (MY/SG)
- NAOS Esports (PH)
- RRQ Academy (ID)
- The MongolZ (MN)
- Xipto Esports (MY/SG)
Group B:
- Oblivion Force (HK/TW)
- Alter Ego (ID)
- ZOL Esports (PH)
- TALON Academy (TH)
- Team Secret Academy (PH)
- Z11 (TH)
Three academy teams from VCT Pacific organizations will be part of the competition: RRQ Academy headlined by the rising star Moses “Splash” Jonathan; TALON Academy headed by the young talent yet experienced Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul; and Team Secret Academy, with former player Noel “NDG” De Guia at the helm.
Completing the lineup are three teams that advanced from the Promotion/Relegation stage: Xipto Esports (formerly Unsigned5), Z11 from Thailand, and The MongolZ.
In addition to the prize pool, teams will be competing for Circuit Points, which will contribute to qualification for VCT Ascension Pacific 2025. The points will be awarded with greater weight for recent placements, meaning higher points will be earned in Split 3.
Live-streams for all languages (excluding Vietnamese) will be exclusive to SOOP platforms:
English
Thai
Vietnamese
- ON Live – https://streamer.onlive.vn/valorant
Bahasa Indonesia
Mandarin
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
