The 2026 VCT Pacific Stage 1 opened on April 3rd, with week one headlined by a rematch between Nongshim RedForce and Paper Rex following their VALORANT Masters Santiago Grand Final meeting.

According to a release, Riot Games’ Pacific league returned to Seoul’s SOOP Colosseum for Stage 1, which will determine the region’s representatives for Masters London. Riot’s official season materials also listed Stage 1 as running from April 3rd to May 17th, with the Nongshim RedForce versus Paper Rex match scheduled for Saturday, April 4th.

The match carried added weight after Nongshim RedForce defeated Paper Rex 3-0 in the Masters Santiago final in March. The Korean organisation entered Stage 1 as one of the region’s biggest stories after extending the momentum it had built since Ascension Pacific.

According to the release, much of the attention during the opening stage surrounded Alpha Group, which featured Gen.G, Nongshim RedForce, Kiwoom DRX, Paper Rex and DRX. With four playoff spots available, the group appeared set to produce some of the toughest intra-group matchups of the stage.

Elsewhere, the release highlighted several roster and coaching changes ahead of the opening week. Kiwoom DRX called up Kim ‘yong’ Ho-yong to its first team, while Team Secret added Dwine ‘Rimuru’ Enriquez and Gian ‘Zeus’ Vega. Their meeting on Sunday, April 5th, was framed as an early test of how quickly both sides could settle their updated line-ups.

Coaching adjustments also formed part of the pre-stage narrative. According to the release, ZETA DIVISION appointed Ryota Okayama, known in-game as ‘Ryota’, as Head Coach and moved former Head Coach Hibiki ‘XQQ’ Motoyama into a coaching role. Full Sense also saw Thanamet ‘Crws’ Mahatananuyut return as a player, while Thanapat ‘TheLuvFamily’ Limppapan took over as Head Coach.

Opening day also placed added scrutiny on Gen.G and T1. Gen.G faced Global Esports in a Kickoff rematch after previously losing 2-1, while T1 took on VARREL. Riot’s official schedule listed both matches for April 3rd as part of VCT Pacific week one.

For Gen.G, the fixture offered an immediate chance to respond after its earlier loss to Global Esports. For T1, the opening series represented an opportunity to steady its Stage 1 campaign against a newly promoted VARREL side that the release described as an emerging dark horse.