In the end, it seems their results were not enough to keep them out of the partnership. Although ZETA Division have never made much of an impression in VCT Pacific since the league's launch in 2023, and are coming off a particularly difficult 2026 season,
the organization has announced that Riot Games have selected them as one of the region's partner teams for the 2027–2028 cycle. As a reminder,
VALORANT's Tier 1 ecosystem is set for a major overhaul next year. The number of partner teams
will be reduced from ten to eight in each of the four major regions (Pacific, EMEA, Americas, and
China).
More importantly, the circuit will now be open. Despite this change, partner status remains a significant advantage. Partner teams will first continue to receive a base payment while also retaining revenue generated through their in-game team capsules. From a competitive standpoint, partnership guarantees a place in Kickoff. In the Pacific region,
the season-opening tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from January 14 to February 7. Partner status also allows teams to bypass the opening rounds of the Open Qualifiers for the Cups, the tournaments that effectively replace the Stages held in previous seasons.
The Cups will serve as qualifying events for international tournaments. In the Pacific region, the first Cup will take place in Manila, Philippines, from April 29 to May 23, while the second will be held 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 May 3. For ZETA Division, however, such considerations still seem a long way off. The team and its iconic captain, Shota "SugarZ3ro" Watanabe, have not competed internationally since Champions 2023, where their campaign ended abruptly after two defeats without winning a single map.
Mired near the bottom of the standings
Domestically, their top 5-6 finish in Stage 2 of 2023 remains the organization's best result since the VCT system was introduced. ZETA finished sixth at Kickoff 2024, but subsequently slipped towards the bottom of the standings and have remained there ever since. In 2026, they were eliminated in the opening rounds of Kickoff, failed to make it out of the Stage 1 group stage and were knocked out of Stage 2 in the Play-In. Given that track record, their place among the partner teams could have been in jeopardy, since,
as previously reported by Sheep Esports, while incumbent teams benefit from having an established track record and years of data to point to, that history could also work against them.
Other criteria considered by Riot include fan engagement and regional representation. While Sheep Esports cannot confirm whether these factors played a role in the decision, both may have worked in the Japanese organization's favour. ZETA remain popular in their home country and compete in a league where, among the ten partner teams from the previous cycle, only they and DetonatioN FocusMe represented Japan. Having a Game Changers division was also a bonus for organizations seeking partnership, although ZETA shut down their women's division in February 2025.
