Manila will host the inaugural VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific Cup from April 29 to May 23, 2027, with teams competing for spots at Masters Valencia in Spain.
Riot Games confirmed the Philippine capital as a host city in its Oct. 15 announcement of the 2027 season, which will feature more than 50 tournaments across 15 cities worldwide.
The VCT is the professional esports circuit for VALORANT, Riot’s tactical shooting game played by two teams of five. Under the new format, regional Cups will replace regular-season league play and conclude with a finals weekend in front of fans.
A GosuGamers review of VALORANT’s 2021 season cited PlayerCounter estimates placing the Philippines fourth worldwide in daily player participation, with a 5.73% share. Riot later cited significant local community growth when announcing a dedicated Manila server in August 2025.
The changes will give teams outside Riot’s partner program more opportunities to qualify for major competitions. In the Pacific, partner teams will retain direct entry into the season-opening Kickoff tournament but must earn their places in subsequent Cups through results.
For Filipino teams, the route will include Southeast Asia open qualifiers alongside Malaysia, Singapore and the rest of the subregion. Qualifiers for the 2027 Kickoff tournaments are scheduled to begin in November 2026.
Riot will also provide fixed payments to non-partner teams that qualify for major events, including $100,000 (about ₱6.3 million) for reaching a Cup. These payments are separate from tournament prize money.
Manila will host the first of two Pacific Cups next year, followed by Tokyo from Aug. 5 to 29. Masters Valencia, the international event teams will seek to reach through the first Cup, is scheduled for June 5 to 20.
The 2027 tournament will come nearly 11 years after the Philippines hosted The Manila Major, a Valve-backed Dota 2 competition featuring 16 teams. Its main event ran from June 7 to 12, 2016, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Riot has yet to announce the Manila venue, participating teams, ticket prices or ticket sale dates. The exact schedule of matches open to spectators also remains unconfirmed.
