EDward Gaming and Trace Esports advance to the upper bracket semifinals of VCT 2025: China Kickoff

The fourth day of VCT 2025: China Kickoff concluded without any surprises. The favorites secured confident victories, pushing their opponents to the lower bracket of the tournament and moving one step closer to a spot at Masters Bangkok by advancing to the upper bracket semifinals.

Trace Esports vs. Dragon Ranger Gaming
The first match of the fourth day, and the last before any team faced elimination, was a best-of-three series between Trace Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming . Trace Esports , one of the top teams in the Chinese region, faced Dragon Ranger Gaming , a mid-tier team that joined VCT in 2023 via Ascension. The favorite was clear even before the match began, and Trace Esports lived up to expectations, winning 2:0: Pearl (13:8) and Abyss (13:7). Dragon Ranger Gaming now falls to the lower bracket, where they will face TYLOO in an elimination match.

EDward Gaming vs. Nova Esports
Similarly, the second match had a clear favorite — EDward Gaming , the Champions 2024 winners. They proved their status by defeating Nova Esports 2:0: Split (13:8) and Fracture (13:10). The winner of the January 20 match will face Trace Esports for a spot in the finals, while Nova Esports will battle Wolves Esports on January 19 in an elimination match.

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