VCT 2027 locations revealed: Bangkok hosts Pacific Kickoff, Manila gets Cup 1 and Champions heads to Austin

Southeast Asia will host two of the Pacific's major Valorant events in 2027. Riot Games revealed the host cities for its redesigned Valorant Champions Tour on Thursday 15 October, with Bangkok staging the Pacific Kickoff in January and Manila hosting the first Pacific VCT Cup in late April and May. The season will end with Valorant Champions in Austin, Texas.

The announcement came during Valorant Champions Shanghai, where the 2026 title is being decided this weekend.

The 2027 calendar

Riot's schedule for next year's top-tier events is:

• VCT Kickoff, 14 January to 7 February: São Paulo, Berlin, Bangkok and Hangzhou
• Masters Seoul, 20 February to 3 March
• VCT Cup 1, 29 April to 23 May: Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila and Wuhan
• Masters Valencia, 5 to 20 June
• VCT Cup 2, 5 to 29 August: Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Tokyo and Shanghai
• Valorant Champions, 16 September to 10 October: Austin, alongside the Game Changers Championship

In practice, the Pacific route runs through Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo, with both Masters events and Champions as the global stages.

A new model built on Cups

The 2027 season is the first under the tournament-based structure Riot outlined earlier this year. Instead of long regular-season leagues, teams will play a series of events. The VCT Cups replace the league stages and act as qualifiers for Masters and Champions, with live finals weekends in front of crowds.

Partnered teams keep direct entry to the Kickoff but no longer have guaranteed places in the Cups. According to Insider Gaming, each Kickoff in the Americas, EMEA and Pacific will feature 12 teams, eight partners plus four from open qualifiers. Riot has not yet named its partner teams for the new cycle.

What it means for SEA teams

The biggest change for teams in Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia is the open pathway. Under Riot's plan, the Pacific is split into territories, including SEA, Japan, Korea and South Asia, each running its own open qualifiers. Teams can work their way into the top tier without the old Ascension promotion system.

Open qualifiers for the 2027 Kickoff begin in November 2026, so SEA rosters assembling now have only weeks before their first chance to qualify.

Venues and tickets still to come

Riot did not name venues for the Bangkok Kickoff or the Manila Cup, and ticket details for the Pacific events have not been announced. Malaysian fans planning a trip should wait for official confirmation before booking travel.

For now, the bigger picture is clear: after Shanghai in 2026, Riot will not return to Asia for Champions in 2027, but Seoul gets the first Masters of the year, and SEA gets two Pacific stops.

Key takeaways

• Bangkok hosts the Pacific Kickoff from 14 January to 7 February 2027.
• Manila hosts the Pacific leg of VCT Cup 1 between 29 April and 23 May.
• Masters events go to Seoul and Valencia; Champions 2027 is in Austin from 16 September to 10 October.
• Open qualifiers for the Kickoff begin in November 2026.

FAQ

Where is Valorant Champions 2027? Austin, Texas, from 16 September to 10 October 2027, alongside the Game Changers Championship.

Which Southeast Asian cities host VCT events in 2027? Bangkok hosts the Pacific Kickoff and Manila hosts the Pacific stage of VCT Cup 1.

Can unpartnered SEA teams qualify for VCT 2027? Yes. Open qualifiers, starting in November 2026, feed teams into the Kickoff and Cups.

Sources: GosuGamers, Insider Gaming, VLR.gg