Hero image: VCT Pacific 2027 partnered teams. Image: Riot Games
Riot has named the eight organisations that will anchor VCT Pacific in 2027, and none of them is Australian. Open qualifiers are the route Riot describes for every other team.
This is a fallback story for the esports slot, not an Australian team story. No Australian team was verified from a primary source today, so this covers the region Australia plays in.
Riot’s VCT Pacific announcement went up on 23 October. It names Crazy Raccoon, FULL SENSE, GAM Esports, Gen.G, Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, T1 and ZETA DIVISION. The post places them in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan, in that order. None of the three October posts about 2027 names Australia.
Riot says the choice was not mainly about results. “So while past competitive performance is something we celebrate, it was not the deciding consideration for us in this process.”
The partner team post of 22 October says there are 32 partners across the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, with eight in each. Partners go straight into VCT Kickoff. After Kickoff, the post says, they have to compete against teams from Open Qualifiers, with competitive performance as the only way to earn a place at Cups, Masters and Champions.
That is the route for any team outside the partner list. The Global Tour post says Kickoff Qualifiers for the 2027 VCT begin in November 2026, through open qualification paths. It promises more than 50 tournaments across the year and says Game Changers will conclude at Champions.
What it does not say is how Oceania fits. Riot’s December 2025 Oceania update ended Challengers Oceania for 2026 and sent players through Premier, then an Oceania regional qualifier and a Last Chance Qualifier. Game Changers Oceania continued in 2026. Nothing in October’s posts says whether that route carries into 2027.
If you plan to enter, check the qualifier details Riot links from The Global Tour post before November. Until Riot publishes an Oceania path, you cannot assume one.
Source: VALORANT Esports – Introducing VCT Pacific Partnered Teams for 2027 and Beyond, VALORANT Esports – Introducing the VCT 2027 Partner Teams, VALORANT Esports – VCT 2027: The Global Tour, VALORANT Esports – Update to VALORANT Esports in Oceania