The final week of league play in Pacific Stage 1 saw teams make last-ditch efforts for playoff spots and clash for higher seedings. While Paper Rex Paper Rex Asia-Pacific Rank #1 invy Adrian Jiggs Reyes Jinggg Wang Jing Jie f0rsakeN Jason Susanto d4v41 Khalish Rusyaidee something Ilya Petrov took care of business to make the playoffs through a fourth-place finish in Group Alpha, a tight finish in Group Omega saw ZETA DIVISION ZETA DIVISION Japan Rank #9 Absol Kazuki Fujinoki SyouTa Shota Aoki SugarZ3ro Shota Watanabe eKo Yeom Wang-ryong (염왕룡) Xdll Yuto Mizomori narrowly miss out.

The top seeds of both groups will begin the playoffs with a bye, meaning they will be one win away from reaching the stage's top three and, in turn, qualification to Masters Toronto. After going 5-0 and only dropping two maps, Group Alpha's BOOM Esports BOOM Esports Asia-Pacific Rank #4 Nakya Alehandro Fabian Simanjorang d3ffo Nikita Sudakov Shiro Hildegard Arnaldo NcSlasher Sheldon Andersen Chandra joined G2 Esports G2 Esports Inactive and the winner of Team Heretics Team Heretics Europe Rank #9 Wo0t Mert Alkan RieNs Enes Ecirli benjyfishy Benjamin David Fish and FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #16 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Cloud Kirill Nehozhin Alfajer Emir Ali Beder 's upcoming match to become the only teams in VCT to finish Stage 1's group stage undefeated.

Here's how the final week of weekend of group stage matches played out:

In a true 'win or go home' match between two teams who have struggled to open the year, Paper Rex downed Global Esports 2-0 to earn their spot in the playoffs. GE and PRX were fourth and fifth in the group and held 1-3 records, meaning the outcome of the match decided Group Alpha's fourth seed. The series was never quite close, as PRX stole GE's map pick 13-5 and then sealed the deal on Lotus, thanks to seven defense rounds secured on the defender side of Lotus. On a team loaded with players who can play the Duelist role, PRX paired iconic sharpshooters Jinggg and something on the roles in the series, fielding double Duelist comps in both maps. Looking ahead, PRX will need three straight wins in the lower bracket to secure a spot at Masters Toronto, with one loss sending them home.

TALON secured their playoff spot and turned heads with a 2-0 win over T1. The result also solidified TALON's spot over T1 in the Group Omega standings and meant that Rex Regum Qeon, regardless of their result, would finish as the group's top seed. Star primmie , now a few weeks into his role as the team's permanent Duelist, had a stellar series, going 44/22 with a 1.61 rating. Meanwhile, T1's struggles on Icebox continued, but their loss on Haven could be seen as surprising. They were undefeated in their last six outings on the map, a streak that started with their run at Masters Bangkok.

primmie , the ultimate difference maker for TALON.

In a clash between Korean rivals, DRX downed Gen.G 2-1 to claim Group Alpha's second seed. The match highlighted two of Korea's fiercest Duelists, pitting HYUNMIN and t3xture against each other. The foes finished with 60 kills each, but it was HYUNMIN who walked away with the victory. After trading wins on their map picks, Gen.G appeared to have the series sealed with a 6-0 run to open Ascent, the decider. However, DRX bounced back, winning 13 of the next 16 rounds to turn the map on its head and claim a 13-9 victory.

Nongshim RedForce defeated ZETA DIVISION 2-1 in a match that rounded out Group Omega's four playoff teams. While a T1 win over TALON could have meant ZETA still made the playoffs, the Thai team's victory meant that only one team between Nongshim and ZETA could make the group's top four. After stealing each other's map pick, Nongshim took the decider map dominantly, winning 13-7 by winning the final nine rounds of the map. The result sealed Nongshim's spot as the group's fourth seed, meaning they begin play in the lower bracket.

In an outcome that surprised very few, BOOM Esports shut out DetonatioN FocusMe 2-0. The result kept BOOM undefeated in the group, and DFM winless. BOOM already had the group's top seed secured with wins over Gen.G and DRX, but their 5-0 mark puts them in good company. They are among just three teams in the world to finish the group stage of Stage 1 undefeated, joining G2 in Americas and Team Heretics/FNATIC in EMEA. After securing the bye, BOOM enters the playoff one win away from qualifying for Masters Toronto. Reaching the event would mark the organization's first appearance at an international event since Champions 2022.

With their spot as Group Alpha's top seed already secured, Rex Regum Qeon suffered a minor setback with a 2-1 loss to Team Secret. The Filipino team was winless in 2025 entering the match, but secured the win thanks to a standout performance from invy . He finished the match with server-highs in multiple stats, with a 1.35 rating and 65 kills. While Team Secret has long been eliminated from playoff contention, their win could bring positive momentum as they enter a long rest ahead of Stage 2. Meanwhile, RRQ will enter the playoffs one win away from qualifying for their first-ever international LAN, excluding LOCK//IN São Paulo.

Playoffs

The Stage 1 playoffs will begin next week with several eye-catching matchups. Perhaps the biggest matchup sees the Pacific Kickoff grand finalists go head-to-head in the opening round. On the other side of the bracket, an up-and-down TALON squad will take on a Gen.G squad picking up steam.

The first weekend of playoff matches are as follows:

Upper Round 1 (April 26)

Upper Semifinals (April 27)