Imagine running a regional esports organization that is not one of the franchised partners. Under the old Valorant Champions Tour model, the road to the top was narrow. For 2027, Riot Games is rebuilding the Pacific league so that any team, partnered or not, can earn its way to international events.
The redesign retires the former Stage 1 and Stage 2 model. In its place the season opens with Kickoff, followed by two major regional Cups that act as direct pathways to Masters and Champions. The main events will be played in three host cities, each with 12 teams in a fully LAN setting.
The calendar
The Pacific schedule lines up with three international events: Masters Seoul, Masters Valencia and Champions Austin.
Kickoff in Bangkok opens the year, and its top three finishers qualify for Masters Seoul. Cup 1 in Manila serves as the qualifier for Masters Valencia. The final Cup, in Tokyo, decides who represents APAC at Champions Austin.
The path from the grassroots
Non-partnered and Premier teams start in regional Open Qualifiers. Each region runs several, so a team that loses early can register for the next one. Teams coming through the Opens, along with teams playing in Kickoff or Cup 1, move on to regional Play-Ins, which decide seeding in the top four of the regional Playoffs. Each sub-region’s Playoffs bring together eight teams fighting for direct Cup spots.
For the Cups, 12 main event slots are split across six direct sub-regions plus one slot for a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). South Asia and Oceania have no direct Cup slots but can still reach main events through the LCQ. The single winner of the eight-team Pacific LCQ takes the 12th and final Cup slot.
Success abroad pays at home. Any team that qualifies for Masters Seoul or Masters Valencia skips the Open Qualifiers and Play-Ins the next cycle and goes straight into the top four of its regional Playoffs.
What partnership now means
Eight partnered organizations remain in the ecosystem, but their guarantees are slim. Partnered status secures a place in Kickoff only. Kickoff has 12 teams: the eight partners and four Open teams from the sub-regional Kickoff Qualifiers in Korea, Japan and SEA and from the Kickoff LCQ. No partner is guaranteed a spot in Cup 1 or Cup 2.
A partner that misses Masters from Kickoff or from Cup 1 drops into the Play-Ins. If it does badly there, it must enter the Open Qualifiers alongside grassroots teams.
Money is part of the change too. Riot has set a fixed payout of US$100,000 per event for any Open team that qualifies for Kickoff or a Cup, meant to give independent organizations some stability.
