Manila will take centre stage in the global Valorant competitive scene after Riot Games announced that the Manila will host the inagural VCT Pacific Cup from 29 April to 23 May 2027, with teams competing for places at Masters Valencia.
The tournament forms part of revamped Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2027 season, which is set to span 15 cities worldwide and feature more than 50 tournaments across Opens, Cups, Masters and Champions. The new Cup format replaces the previous VCT Pacific Stage structure, under which much of the competition was held in South Korea, with selected matches staged in front of live audiences during finals weekends.
For Filipino fans, Manila’s inclusion brings a major international Valorant event to a country with a strong following for the game. However, the announcement comes alongside significant changes to the competitive pathway for Philippine teams.
From 2027, VCT Pacific will feature dedicated regional competitions for South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. The Philippines will instead compete in the Pacific Wild Card region alongside Malaysia, Singapore and other South East Asian markets.
The change marks a departure from the previous system, in which Philippine teams competed in local tournaments before pursuing opportunities at regional and international events. Although the revamped format is intended to broaden access to the VCT, Philippine organisations will face a wider pool of competitors in their bid to reach tournaments such as Masters and Champions.
The 2027 calendar will feature two Masters tournaments. Seoul will host the first, while Valencia, Spain, will stage the second. Austin, Texas, meanwhile, is scheduled to host both VALORANT Champions 2027 and the Game Changers Championship, bringing the season to a close in October.
The announced schedule is as follows:
- VCT Kick-off: 14 January to 7 February: São Paulo, Berlin, Bangkok and Hangzhou
- Masters Seoul: 20 February to 3 March: Seoul, South Korea
- VCT Cup 1: 29 April to 23 May: Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila and Wuhan
- Masters Valencia: 5 to 20 June: Valencia, Spain
- VCT Cup 2: 5 to 29 August: Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Tokyo and Shanghai
- VALORANT Champions and Game Changers Championship: 16 September to 10 October: Austin, Texas, United States
Alongside the expanded international calendar, Riot Games is overhauling the VCT qualification system to create more opportunities for non-partnered teams to compete against established organisations. Under the new format, teams will be able to qualify for regional Cups, Masters and Champions through Open Qualifiers and competitive routes, removing the need to progress through the previous Ascension system.
Partnered organisations will retain certain advantages, including direct entry into Kick-off, but will no longer guarantee places in subsequent Cups. Qualification for those tournaments will instead depend on competitive results. Riot Games has also outlined guaranteed qualification payments for non-partnered teams that reach major events.
These payments will be separate from tournament prize money:
- Kick-off or regional Cups: US$100,000
- Masters:US$200,000
- Champions:US$400,000
Open Qualifiers for the 2027 season are scheduled to begin in November 2026, giving aspiring teams their first opportunity to compete under the new system before the season begins in January 2027.
VALORANT is a free-to-play tactical first-person shooter developed and published by Riot Games. First teased under the codename “Project A” in 2019, the game was released for Windows on 2 June 2020. Its gameplay draws on established tactical shooter recoil patterns and movement-related shooting inaccuracy. The game later expanded to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2024, with no cross-play between PC and console players.
VALORANT Mobile launched in China in August 2025, with a wider international release planned for a later date.
VALORANT Philippines can be found on Instagram.
