Global Esports, led by Philippine rookie and former DLSU standout Xavier “xavi8k” Juan, continued their run in the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific Kickoff with a 2–0 victory over Japan’s ZETA Division in the middle bracket on January 29. The result moves Global Esports closer to securing a Masters qualifier spot in the triple-elimination format.
READ MORE: Filipino VALORANT Players See Mixed Results, Key Stats Highlight Early VCT Pacific Kickoff Trends
After a narrow 1–2 loss to Paper Rex featuring Filipino star Arian ‘invy’ Reyes in the Upper Bracket earlier in the event, Global rebounded from that setback to defeat VARREL 2–0 in their opening match of the Kickoff, demonstrating early promise in their campaign.
Statistically, Global maintained control in key phases of both maps. On Haven, they recovered after dropping the pistol and anti-eco rounds, then punched an eight-round streak to build a 9–3 half lead. ZETA threatened an overtime push, but Global closed it out. On Abyss, the half saw a balanced start, but GE surged to a 8–4 lead before withstanding a mid-half ZETA comeback to secure the map.
From a metrics perspective, xavi8k’s performance stood out in both duels and utility adaptation, affirming his influence as an IGL despite his rookie status. 44 kills and 17 assists is an impressive statline in just his 3rd series of the tournament. His ability to maintain positive trade potential and consistent presence across rounds played a key role in GE’s map control.
Global’s next opponent in the middle bracket will be DetonatioN FocusMe from Japan on February 1, following DFM’s own march through the bracket after a win over Team Secret in their prior middle bracket match.
After Global Esports’ win over ZETA Division, Team Secret also fell in the middle bracket, dropping 0–2 to DetonatioN FocusMe in their elimination match. According to VLR.gg match data, DFM controlled both maps, taking Split 13–2 and Bind 13–8, with standout performances from their core players. Akame led the series with a high impact, posting a 36/17 kill/death line and a strong presence across both maps, while the Japanese side consistently outpaced Secret in exchange efficiency and utility trades—key factors in closing out rounds. Team Secret’s new mixed nationality roster continued to struggle and were unable to counter DFM’s structured execution, leaving them to regroup in the lower bracket.
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