T1 dominate VCT Pacific Stage 1 while overall and Korean viewership reaches all-time low

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The VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1, which established itself as Valorant’s leading Internnational League in terms of viewership, saw Korean viewership fall by almost 50% despite legendary organization T1 dominating their group.

T1 entered Stage 1 with something to prove; the organization claimed their first-ever Masters title last year, but failed to secure a regional VCT title, and coming to 2026 they again fell short in the Kickoff finals before exiting Masters Santiago 2026 in the Group Stage. Stage 1 marked a point of reset for T1, and they used this opportunity to go on an unstoppable run and achieve a spotless 5-0 record. 

Although T1 has been at the top of their game, Korean-language viewership has fallen dramatically for the VCT Pacific. Across YouTube Live, SOOP Korea, and Naver’s CHZZK, total Korean watch time fell by roughly 50% comparing the Group Stages of Stage 1 2026 and 2025.

Why did Korean viewership fall for the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1?

While Riot Games has made partnerships with Korean broadcasting platforms CHZZK and SOOP Korea for broadcasting rights in League of Legends, these platforms appear to be losing draw for Valorant esports. While a handful of broadcasting channels remained across these two platforms, there were far fewer than last year, and most of the Korean viewership came through the official YouTube Live broadcast. 

For the VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1 Group Stage, Korean watch time fell just shy of 1M Hours Watched: the worst result for Korean viewership in VCT Pacific history. This record-low viewership, oddly, occurred with three different Korean rosters qualifying for playoffs.

T1 qualified for the playoffs with a perfect 5-0 record, taking its place in the bracket alongside fellow Korean rosters NongShim and DRX. Interestingly, while T1’s flawless Group Stage run was not particularly celebrated by Korean fans,  Gen.G’s run to the grand finals at the VCT 2025: Pacific Stage 1 brought a wave of Korean viewers, exceeding 100,000 concurrent viewers. Despite T1’s global fame and dominance in League of Legends, their Valorant squad has not developed a large audience of their own yet. 

Throughout the Group Stage, the VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1 received over 11.4M Hours Watched, a 12.8% decrease year-on-year. While Korean viewership decreased, other Asian audiences such as Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian viewers grew in size or remained stable for 2026’s Stage 1. These viewers rallied behind local teams such as DetaNation FocusMe and ZETA DIVISION (Japan), and Rex Regum Qeon (Indonesia). 

What were the top games of the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1 Group Stage?

Overall, the most popular game of the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1 Group Stage was Paper Rex against NongShim RedForce: a showdown between two of Pacific’s great rosters to debut Stage 1.

NongShim made headlines when they became the first team to ascend through the Valorant Premier and Challengers system to win an international title at Masters Santiago 2026. Their rocket to the top made them one of the most-discussed names in Valorant esports, but after a lukewarm start to Stage 1, the team has not found much popularity outside of their early showdown with Paper Rex.

Paper Rex remain eternally popular. The team is one of Valorant’s most popular teams across the globe, and the roster is known for their aggressive, exciting-to-watch gameplay. Their games against NongShim and Gen.G were close, overtime games which earned the top spots as the most popular games of the Group Stage. 

From T1’s group, which did not feature Paper Rex, ZETA DIVISION vs Rex Regum Qeon was the top game with over 306,000 Peak Viewers. This match, featuring two representatives of Pacific’s strongest audieinces, earned its top spot on our ranking thanks to a huge wave of Japanese viewers (over 188,000) and support from Indonesian fans.

How did the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1 compare to previous years?

Compared to previous Stage 1 Group Stage results for the VCT Pacific, the 2026 iteration saw the lowest watch time the league has seen. While certain teams such as the Japanese representatives and Paper Rex remain eternally popular, Korean platforms have seen interest slip. International, English-language viewership for the series has also fallen, which contributed to the lower watch time.

Compared to last year, the 2026 Stage 1 Group Stage received 95,000 fewer Peak Viewers for its most popular match. Heading towards the playoffs stage, T1’s dominance could reawaken Korean fans to bring viewership back to a strong peak, or another competitor such as Paper Rex could claim the title. 

The best three teams from the Stage 1 playoffs will qualify for Masters London 2026. With DetoNation FocusMe, Paper Rex, T1, RRQ, some of Valorant Pacific’s strongest audiences will have teams to rally behind for the playoffs stage, so keep an eye the viewership of these games; the playoffs for Pacific Stage 1 begins on May 7.