T1 eliminate VARREL as Pacific’s Champions Shanghai lineup is completed

T1 and Global Esports have secured their places at VALORANT Champions 2026, completing Pacific’s four-team lineup for the season-ending tournament in Shanghai.

T1 sealed their ticket by defeating VARREL 2-0 in the VCT Pacific Stage 2 lower bracket in Busan. Global Esports also became mathematically safe through Championship Points after Nongshim RedForce defeated them 2-1 in the Upper Final and T1 subsequently eliminated VARREL.

Nongshim, Global, T1 and Paper Rex will therefore represent Pacific at Champions Shanghai.

T1 shut down VARREL on Haven

VARREL entered the elimination series as one of Stage 2’s biggest surprise stories.

The Japanese organization had recovered from a difficult first half of the season and already eliminated Paper Rex 2-1 during the lower bracket. Against T1, however, VARREL could not continue that run.

Haven remained close through the opening half. VARREL generated several successful retakes, but T1 recovered enough rounds on attack to enter halftime tied at 6-6.

The second half was much more decisive.

• T1 won six of the first seven rounds on defense
• stax consistently found strong reads as the team’s IGL
• VARREL recovered two rounds after T1 reached map point
• T1 eventually closed Haven 13-9

The result put VARREL one map away from elimination and gave T1 control of the series.

Meteor powers an incredible Lotus start

Lotus has been one of T1’s strongest maps throughout Stage 2, and that continued in Busan.

T1 entered the map undefeated on Lotus during the stage. Their Omen-Viper composition again proved effective, while Meteor’s Chamber became the central piece of an extraordinary opening run.

Meteor started Lotus 10-1 as T1 raced to an 11-0 advantage.

VARREL finally secured one attacking round before halftime and then produced a much stronger defensive response after the switch.

Map	T1	VARREL
Haven	13	9
Lotus	13	9
Series	2	0

VARREL won six consecutive rounds at the beginning of its defensive half and briefly threatened an unlikely comeback.

T1 eventually stabilized, however, reaching match point before finishing Lotus 13-9 and completing the sweep.

Meteor leads the server

Meteor finished as the standout player of the series.

He recorded 40 kills across the two maps, more than any other player in the server. His performance on Lotus was particularly important because the early advantage gave VARREL almost no room for mistakes.

BuZz provided additional aggressive pressure for T1, regularly taking opening engagements and finishing the series with 30 kills.

VARREL’s strongest performer was oonzmlp with 29 kills, but the Japanese side could not match T1’s overall consistency.

• Meteor finished the series with 40 kills
• BuZz recorded 30 while frequently taking first engagements
• oonzmlp led VARREL with 29
• T1 have now swept KIWOOM DRX, Gen.G and VARREL in consecutive playoff elimination matches

That lower-bracket run represents a major turnaround after T1 needed the Play-In just to reach the main playoff field.

Global Esports qualify despite Upper Final defeat

Earlier in the day, Nongshim RedForce defeated Global Esports 2-1 in the Upper Final.

Nongshim took Haven 13-7 before Global responded with an overtime victory on Ascent. Abyss then decided the series, with Nongshim closing the map 13-6 to secure their place in the Stage 2 Grand Final.

The defeat dropped Global into the Lower Final, but T1’s later victory over VARREL produced another important consequence.

With VARREL eliminated, Global had accumulated enough Championship Points to guarantee a place at Champions Shanghai regardless of what happens next.

That means the Lower Final between Global and T1 is now about reaching the Stage 2 Grand Final and improving regional seeding rather than securing the basic Champions invitation.

VARREL’s turnaround ends just short of Shanghai

VARREL leave the tournament in fourth place.

The result will still represent a major improvement compared with expectations entering Stage 2. VARREL reached the main playoffs, defeated Paper Rex and came within one elimination series of remaining in the fight for an international appearance.

The final step proved too difficult.

T1’s defensive discipline on Haven and overwhelming opening on Lotus created deficits that VARREL could not fully recover from.

Pacific’s Champions lineup is complete

With VARREL eliminated, all four Pacific representatives for Champions Shanghai are now known.

Nongshim RedForce earned qualification through their Stage 2 run, while T1 secured their position through the playoff result against VARREL. Global Esports are safe through Championship Points, and Paper Rex had already accumulated enough points despite their earlier playoff elimination.

The region can therefore turn its attention from qualification toward seeding and the Stage 2 title.

Assessment

T1’s recovery is one of the strongest stories of the Pacific postseason.

The team entered through the Play-In but has since eliminated three consecutive opponents without dropping a map. Beating Gen.G and VARREL in straight maps also suggests the improvement is not limited to weaker opposition.

Global’s qualification carries a different significance. Their consistent results across the season provided enough Championship Points to protect them even after losing the Upper Final.

For VARREL, elimination will be disappointing, but their Stage 2 run still demonstrated significant progress.

Pacific’s Shanghai lineup is now settled. Nongshim, Global, T1 and Paper Rex will represent the region when Champions begins, while the remaining Busan matches will determine which team enters the international event with the strongest regional finish.