Two more Pacific teams will earn a spot at the US$1.25 million Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh through a regional qualifier hosted by HERO ESPORTS via the ACL series.
CHINA – HERO ESPORTS has announced the qualifier details for the Pacific region ahead of the 2025 Esports World Cup.
The ACL 2025 EWC Qualifier: Pacific will feature teams from the VCT Pacific circuit competing for two coveted spots at the EWC, which is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 8–13 with a total prize pool of US$1.25 million.
Gen.G and RRQ, who secured the top two finishes in VCT Pacific Stage 1, have already booked their tickets to Riyadh. They’ll be joined by other qualified teams from other regions such as G2 Esports, Sentinels, XLG, Bilibili Gaming, EDward Gaming, Titan Esports Club, and other yet-to-be-confirmed teams. Meanwhile, EMEA will finalize its first two representatives soon, with both the Americas and EMEA qualifiers scheduled for May 16–25.
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The EWC Pacific Qualifier is set for May 22–25 and will feature eight teams from the VCT Pacific circuit.
With Gen.G and RRQ already qualified, and both ZETA DIVISION and DetonatioN FocusMe opting out due to scheduling conflicts, the next eight teams in line will compete in two single-round-robin groups. The top two teams from each group will move on to the playoffs, where they’ll battle for the final two Pacific slots at the EWC.
Paper Rex will be facing off against TALON, T1, and Global Esports in the group stage, while DRX have been grouped with BOOM Esports, Nongshim RedForce, and Team Secret. The group stage will feature best-of-one matches where every team plays each other once, followed by best-of-threes for the EWC qualification rounds, and wrapping up with a best-of-five grand final.
- Group A:
- Paper Rex
- TALON
- T1
- Global Esports
- Group B:
- DRX
- BOOM Esports
- Nongshim RedForce
- Team Secret
Schedule (time in GMT+8):
- Thursday, May 22
- 14:00 – Paper Rex vs. TALON (13-9) // T1 vs. Global Esports (7-13)
- 15:30 – Paper Rex vs. T1 (13-8) // TALON vs. Global Esports (10-13)
- 17:00 – Paper Rex vs. Global Esports (13-8) // TALON vs. T1 (7-13)
- Friday, May 23
- 14:00 – DRX vs. BOOM (14-12) // Nongshim RedForce vs. Team Secret (9-13)
- 15:30 – DRX vs. Nongshim RedForce (11-13) // BOOM Esports vs. Team Secret (11-13)
- 17:00 – DRX vs. Team Secret (13-4) // BOOM Esports vs. Nongshim RedForce (13-6)
- Saturday, May 24
- 14:00 – Paper Rex vs. Team Secret (EWC Qualification match)
- 17:00 – DRX vs. Global Esports (EWC Qualification match)
- Sunday, May 25
- 14:00 – Grand Finals
However, EWC Pacific Qualifier will not be broadcasted on any official channels. This means there will be no livestream coverage, commentary, or match replays provided to the public during the qualifier stage.
Updates will likely come through teams’ social media and community channels instead such as @VALO2ASIA on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
The 2025 Esports World Cup for VALORANT will welcome 16 teams, with four representatives from each major region: Pacific, China, EMEA, and Americas. Teams will first compete in four double-elimination groups over the first three days.
The top two from each group will then move on to a single-elimination playoff held over the final three days. The grand final, played in a best-of-five format, will determine who claims the US$500,000 first-place prize. The remaining 15 teams will also earn a share of the prize pool based on their final placement.
- Pacific
- RRQ
- Gen.G
- ACL 2025 EWC: Pacific Qualifier #1
- ACL 2025 EWC: Pacific Qualifier #2
- CN
- XLG
- Bilibili Gaming
- EDward Gaming (via CN Evolution Series Act 2 x ACL #1)
- Titan Esports Club (via CN Evolution Series Act 2 x ACL #2)
- EMEA
- #1 VCT EMEA Stage 1
- #2 VCT EMEA Stage 1
- EWC: EMEA Qualifier #1
- EWC: EMEA Qualifier #2
- Americas
- G2 Esports
- Sentinels
- EWC: Americas Qualifier #1
- EWC: Americas Qualifier #2
For more insights on the Asian VALORANT scene and upcoming content like this, be sure to like and follow VALO2ASIA on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Cover photo courtesy of EWC
