Riot Games publisher has decided to finally conquer Southeast Asia – in 2026, the final of the first stage of the Pacific League (VCT Pacific Stage 1) will officially unfold in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese fans, by the way, have already gotten used to big events after last year’s League of Legends finals in Da Nang, but for the VALORANT discipline, this will be the first ever visit of this scale. We’ve already made an announcement, and that’s the good news!
Jake Sin, who heads the VALORANT esports department in the APAC region, did not hide his delight on Twitter — he called the local community one of the fastest growing, which, in general, is logical. It is worth considering that the tournament in Ho Chi Minh City is only part of the global road show, because the second stage in September has already been “booked” for Busan, Korea. In fact, the fight in March and May will be not only for points, but also for tickets to London, where the next Masters will be held from June 6 to 21. It is also expected to organize an official fan zone for the audience who will not be able to enter the arena.
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Fan Guide: tickets, hotels and transportation in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is filled with emotions from the football drive, especially when local legends from Ho Chi Minh City are being hacked on the lawn of the Tong Nhat Stadium. This little analysis, apparently, will be your lifeline in the world of Vietnamese support — we’ll deal with tickets, housing and logistics so that you don’t get distracted from the game itself.
Where to buy tickets for VCT Pacific and visit fan zones
Getting to the game of Ho Chi Minh City or the main national team of Vietnam is quite a solvable task if you know a couple of nuances. Receipts are usually thrown out for sale right at the central gate of the Tong Nhat stadium about a day before the kick—off whistle – we advise you to come in the morning, otherwise, by the way, you risk getting stuck in an endless queue. The price tag for regular stands starts from 100,000 VND, and for VIP status you will have to pay about 150,000 VND, which, in principle, is a penny for such emotions. Digital platforms like Flashscore or official club apps sometimes offer online purchases, but it seems that the good old cash registers are still more reliable on site.
If a stadium is not your option, then Ho Chi Minh City, by the way, will offer you an alternative — huge LED screens in the heart of the metropolis. During the status games, District 1 turns into one big open-air grandstand, where thousands of fans with beer and flags create an unreal noise. By the way, such broadcasts are usually completely free — check the current collection points on vietnam.vn or in Vietravel publications.
Let’s just say that when the Vietnamese U23 youth team plays, the hype skyrockets — they put up screens everywhere. Remember that the top spots generally fly out an hour before the broadcast, so fly to the location in advance and don’t forget about snacks. As a result, your trip to Ho Chi Minh City can be the best football trip, if, of course, you prepare for the local climate and chaos.
Valorant League format and VCT 2026 points distribution
There are 3 coveted slots for the international championship in the UK at stake, and 12 partner organizations will compete for them. The system, you need to agree, was not changed — two groups of 6 teams, round-robin battles and a harsh playoff with a Double Elimination format for the top eight. By the way, all matches will be held in the Best-of-3 mode, except for the decisive finals, where the audience will enjoy a full-fledged BO5 show.
In addition to trips to London, the teams, in truth, will farm championship points — the winner will take 6 points at once, and 4 points will be awarded for the second place. Interestingly, even for the fourth place, they give 2 bonus points, which is critical for the final rating of the season. Apparently, Riot Games wants to squeeze the most intrigue out of each card. By the way, you can follow all this madness on the official Twitch and YouTube streams — they promise top-end images and analytics.
As a result, Ho Chi Minh City gets the status of the main esports capital in spring 2026, and fans get a chance to see the best players in the Pacific region live. Along the way, it will become clear whether the Vietnamese organizers will be able to surpass the Korean stage, but the bar has been exceeded as high as possible.
