VCT Pacific’s Inclusivity Problem: Can Riot Fix It?

For a long time, the VALORANT Champions Tour Pacific has presented itself as an arena aimed at bringing together competitors from South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and other areas under a single tournament banner. Headquartered mostly in South Korea and comprising a combination of franchise partners and Tier 2 teams, the tournament has developed world-class competitors while cultivating highly dedicated fan communities throughout the territory.

However, with the expansion of the league, various elements have prompted organizations, supporters, and eventually Riot Games itself—particularly in 2026—to question if VCT Pacific genuinely reflects its diverse region, or if it is instead transforming into a branch of the South Korean VALORANT scene.

Since the inception of the International Leagues, managing VCT Pacific has proved to be a highly complex endeavor.

In contrast to the Americas or EMEA, the Pacific does not function as a uniform competitive landscape. It merges several distinct sub-regions, each possessing unique esports frameworks, talent pools, linguistic backgrounds, and funding levels.

Although this rich variety is precisely what makes VCT Pacific so compelling, it has introduced numerous obstacles for the circuit. Chief among these difficulties is ensuring the league remains genuinely welcoming and accessible to all participating territories.

The issue has even been openly recognized by the Head of VCT Pacific, Jake Sin, who conceded that “we’ve admittedly created an unintentional imbalance over the last few years.”

He clarified that focusing on operational consistency played a part in this disparity, adding that his future objective is to resolve this discrepancy in the next round of team partnerships.

“Going through the thoughts shared by competitors about their past four years in the Pacific as their 2026 journeys conclude is incredibly moving. I trust they view this moment as the start of a fresh chapter rather than just a conclusion. My goal is to build an even more incredible competitive environment to participate in over the next few years. There is much to anticipate,” Sin shared on social media.

“And to reassure anyone concerned, please know that I am dedicated to making our league far more representative than it has been. We did, in truth, foster an unplanned disparity over the previous years (to ensure smooth operations), which I am now fully focused on fixing.”

By 2026, five out of the twelve franchises in VCT Pacific hail from South Korea, representing roughly 42% of the competition. To be clear, there is nothing intrinsically incorrect about this figure. If South Korean clubs earn their spots through fair athletic merit, they absolutely merit their inclusion.

Nonetheless, outside influences, like the fact that VCT Pacific is mostly based in South Korea, offer domestic squads a substantial advantage in terms of physical facilities, production settings, and the general tournament environment.

Naturally, this does not imply that Riot is purposely giving preferential treatment to South Korean lineups. Establishing flawless equality for every single VCT Pacific participant is an immense challenge, especially during the inaugural partnership phase with so many distinct sub-regions in play.

Still, issues surrounding competitive fairness have fueled the belief that the playing field is uneven.

Several participants within VCT Pacific, such as Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov and Hector “FrosT” Rosario, have historically voiced apprehensions about suspected violations of fair play.