Despite a challenging season on the competitive front, 2026 has ended on a positive note for Gen.G’s
VALORANT division. According to sources close to
Sheep Esports, the South Korean organization has been selected as one of the eight VCT Pacific partner teams for the 2027–2028 cycle. Like T1,
the other South Korean team selected for the region, Gen.G began its
VALORANT journey on another continent, competing in North America before moving to the Pacific when the partnership system was introduced in 2023.
If there is one season that stands out from Gen.G’s time in the Pacific, it is undoubtedly 2024. Two years ago, the team came close to matching the exceptional standards it
has set in League of Legends. Gen.G won both Kickoff and Stage 2 in VCT Pacific. Only Paper Rex stood in the way of a domestic Golden Road, defeating Gen.G in a five-map Stage 1 Grand Final. That year, an international title was all that eluded Gen.G, which fell short in the Masters Madrid final before going on to disappoint at Champions.
A dismal 2026 campaign
Although Gen.G remained among the region’s leading teams in 2025, it has not won a trophy since. Worse still, the organization endured a dismal 2026 campaign, finishing 9th–10th at Kickoff before slipping to 11th–12th in Stage 1. Following a few roster adjustments, Gen.G managed to improve slightly in Stage 2, placing 5th–6th. Even so, that result fell well short of the organization’s usual standards, and Gen.G will undoubtedly be keen to bounce back as the VALORANT scene enters a new cycle.
This new partnership status also marks the beginning of a fresh chapter for the ecosystem as a whole. VALORANT esports is returning to a more open circuit, with the number of partner teams decreasing from ten to eight per region. While partner teams are losing some of their privileges, including their near-exclusive access to qualification for international events, their status still comes with tangible benefits. They are guaranteed a place in their region’s Kickoff tournament. In the Pacific, the season opener will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from January 14 to February 7.
Partnership status also allows teams to bypass the opening rounds of the Open Qualifiers leading into the “Cups”. These Cups effectively replace the Stages held in previous seasons and will now be the only route to qualifying for international events. In the Pacific, the first Cup will be held in Manila, Philippines, from April 29 to May 23, while the second will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from August 5 to 29. The region will also host the year’s first Masters, scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea, from February 20 to March 3 — a home event for Gen.G. Finally, partner teams will first continue to receive a base payment while also retaining revenue generated through their in-game team capsules.
