VCT 2026 Pacific Kickoff betting tips – Thursday, January 22

VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2026 season for the Pacific regions kicks off on Thursday, January 22, with the first pair of games in the upper bracket round 1. The day begins with Nongshim RedForce clashing with Team Secret, followed by a meeting between ZETA DIVISION and the new and improved FULL SENSE.

Here are our free VALORANT betting previews and expert picks for the two games, along with esports odds courtesy of the best esports bookmakers.

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  Fast Payouts

NONGSHIM REDFORCE vs TEAM SECRET

Nongshim RedForce and Team Secret will kick off the VCT 2026 Pacific season on Thursday, in their first meeting since VCT 2025 Pacific Stage 2 in July.

Nongshim RedForce enter the season with the same five-man lineup and coach Chae “yoman” Young-mun as the only new arrival. Team Secret, on the other hand, have added three new players, incuding Kim “TenTen” Tae-young, Rizkie “BerserX” Adla, and 2025 Masters Bangkok champion Ko “Sylvan” Young-sub.

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  The bookies' bookie

Team Secret look improved and have some very solid pieces. However, with so many changes and little time to prepare, they will struggle against Nongshim RedForce, who have strong continuity and look set for a stronger start to the season.

ZETA DIVISION vs FULL SENSE

ZETA DVISION enter the first match of the season as +275 underdogs on the best VALORANT betting sites, after a very challenging 2025 season. While they have made changes and added three new players, Yeom “eKo” Wang-ryong, Kazuki “Absol” Fujinoki, and Shota “SyouTa” Aoki, there’s still an evident lack of quality on this roster.

The big changes will not do ZETA DIVISION any favours, as this new-look lineup has yet to play together.

FULL SENSE enter the season with the former TALON core and Thanyathon “Leviathan” Nakmee as the only carryover. This gives them pre-established synergy, avoiding the early growing pains some teams will face as they adjust to the new arrivals. FULL SENSE look stronger and field a core who’ve played together before.

Prediction: FULL SENSE -1.5 maps – $2.00 at GG.Bet