January 18 marked the end of the road for two teams at the VCT 2025: China Kickoff, as they lost their lower bracket matches. All Gamers and TEC Esports, after their defeats, will take a short break until March when Stage 1 begins.

JDG Esports vs. TEC Esports

The day started with a match between JDG Esports and TEC Esports, where the former were clear favorites—a status they confirmed on the server. On TEC Esports’ map pick, Fracture, they managed to put up some resistance, taking 9 rounds. However, on their own map pick, Abyss, TEC Esports won only three rounds, losing the match 0:2 and eliminating any chances of qualifying for Masters Bangkok.

XLG Esports vs. All Gamers

All Gamers, considered the underdogs, managed to surprise by winning their pick, Abyss. But from that point on, the match went as expected: XLG Esports comfortably won the next two maps, conceding only 5 rounds in total. XLG Esports advance further in the lower bracket, while All Gamers are eliminated from the tournament.

The VCT 2025: China Kickoff runs from January 11 to 25 as a LAN event at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai. Twelve partnered teams from the VCT program are competing for two invitations to Masters Bangkok and valuable China Points, crucial for World Championship qualification.