VCT 2027 South Asia Open Qualifiers: Dates, Eligibility, and Where to Watch

via jioblast

Riot Games, in partnership with JioBLAST, has announced the VCT 2027 Kickoff Open Qualifiers for South Asia, starting on November 17. The announcement was made in Mumbai on November 3.

This event is the season-opening pathway for the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) in South Asia. Teams from across the region will compete for a spot at Kickoff APAC. Only two will make it through.

The tournament starts with a Swiss stage, and the top 8 teams then move on to the Playoffs. Those Playoffs use a double-elimination bracket. The two teams that come out on top advance to the next phase.

Schedule and Format

• Registration deadline: November 13, midnight

• Open Qualifiers (Swiss stage): November 17 to 20, with the top 8 teams reaching the Playoffs

• Playoffs (double-elimination bracket): November 23 to 29, with 2 teams advancing to Kickoff APAC

Who Can Register?

Teams of 5 must sign up on the official page before the deadline.

• Registration page: jioblast.com/vctsakickoff

Every player needs a minimum current rank of Ascendant 1. There are also age (17 or older), residency (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Shri-lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives), and account requirements (with photo).

What Happens After the Qualifiers?

As mentioned earlier, two teams will qualify for Kickoff APAC (the season-opening major tournament for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) in the Asia-Pacific (Pacific) region).

Key details about Kickoff APAC:

• Dates - January 11–31, 2027

• Location - Bangkok, Thailand

• Format - 12 teams: 8 Partner teams + 4 Open teams

• Qualification - Top 3 teams advance to Masters Seoul

• Style - Triple-elimination bracket (LAN)

Kickoff APAC Teams:

Partner Teams (Guaranteed Slots)

1. Paper Rex (Singapore)

2. FULL SENSE (Thailand)

3. RRQ (Indonesia)

4. ZETA DIVISION (Japan)

5. T1 (South Korea)

6. Gen.G (South Korea)

7. Crazy Raccoon (Japan)

8. GAM Esports (Vietnam)⁠

Open Slots (4 teams); These come from regional Open Qualifiers:

• Korea Qualifier

• Japan Qualifier

• SEA Qualifier

• Kickoff LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) 

  • The 2 qualifiers from South Asia (this is via the JioBLAST tournament we're talking about here)

  • The Oceania playoffs winner

  • The runner-up of the Southeast Asian (SEA) playoffs

South Asia is one of 8 Pacific regions running Open Qualifiers for VCT 2027. Across the world, Riot is holding Open Qualifiers in 16 regions.

The Playoffs will stream live on the official JioBLAST and VALORANT YouTube channels. JioTV will also carry the broadcast.

Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, said the future of esports depends on creating “meaningful opportunities for emerging talent” to compete. He noted that BLAST’s global relationship with Riot Games now extends to India through JioBLAST. He added that the partnership gives teams a clear pathway to pursue their ambitions.

Anushka Bhatnagar, Publishing Lead for Riot Games India and South Asia, said the VCT 2027 format makes VALORANT Esports “more accessible.” She said Riot is pleased to partner with JioBLAST to bring the opportunity to the region. She also confirmed that Riot will keep building the VALORANT competitive ecosystem in South Asia.