Key facts
- T1 added Tyson 'TenZ' Ngo to its Valorant squad for the 2027 Pacific VCT, ending his retirement.
- T1 confirmed on 12 November that TenZ will join its competitive squad for VCT Pacific in 2027 and said the announcement included a post and welcome video.
- T1 signed Austin 'crashies' Roberts from London-based Fnatic; he joined T1 on 11 November 2026 after his Fnatic stint ran from 11 December 2024 to 4 November 2026.
- TenZ left professional competition in 2024 and served as a T1 content creator during the current year before moving into the competitive squad.
Esports Insider reported on 12 November that T1 brought Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo back to its Valorant roster for VCT Pacific in 2027, ending the player’s retirement.
The organisation confirmed on 12 November that TenZ would join its competitive squad for the 2027 VCT Pacific season, and said the announcement came with a post and welcome video.
Esports Insider reported that the signing is part of a two-part roster rebuild that follows T1‘s acquisition of Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts from London-based Fnatic. crashies moved to T1 on 11 November 2026, after a Fnatic stint that ran from 11 December 2024 to 4 November 2026. T1 had originally released him in September 2020. crashies described T1 as ‘where it all started’ and said he was eager for the new challenge.
TenZ left professional competition in 2024 and served as a T1 content creator during 2026 before moving into the competitive squad. T1 called TenZ a living legend of Valorant and said he was starting a new chapter with the organisation.
Esports Insider reported that while playing for Sentinels, TenZ beat Fnatic 3-0 at Masters Reykjavík 2021, part of the history behind the attention around his return. He took Masters Madrid 2024 with a 3-2 score against Gen.G. The outlet cited Liquipedia’s record that TenZ was the first player from the Americas to earn multiple VCT Masters titles.
Paper Rex beat Fnatic 3-1 in the Masters Toronto 2025 grand final, and NRG won 3-2 at the Paris 2025 Valorant Champions event. Fnatic parted with coach Andrey ‘ENGH’ Sholokhov on 2 November, saying it was making changes for the 2027 season.
T1 revealed the extension on 6 November 2026. BuZz’s deal runs through the end of 2028.
The structure for 2027 VCT was announced on 28 October. It puts eight Pacific partner teams directly into January 2027 Kickoff, with four other Kickoff spots going to regional open qualifiers.
The Los Angeles event Red Bull Home Ground 2026 gave direct invites to six teams: T1, Fnatic, Sentinels, G2 Esports, NRG and ZETA DIVISION. It runs from 10 to 13 December, with group stage on 10 and 11 December, bracket play and semi-finals held on 12 December, and the grand final on 13 December.
Join the discussion