De La Salle and Ateneo to Kick Off UAAP Esports VALORANT Competition

MANILA — De La Salle University is set to face Ateneo de Manila University in a highly anticipated match at the opening of the UAAP Esports VALORANT competition. The event will take place on Tuesday at the Hyundai Hall in Areté on the Ateneo campus, with the main game scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

According to Philippines News Agency, the day will also feature matches between other university teams. Far Eastern University will compete against Adamson University at 11:30 a.m., followed by a clash between the University of the Philippines and National University at 1:30 p.m. The University of the East will then face the University of Santo Tomas at 3:30 p.m. The teams are divided into two groups for the series, with La Salle, FEU, Adamson, and Ateneo making up Group A and UST, UP, NU, and UE comprising Group B.

Xavier Juan, who has recently transitioned from his role as a player with Viridis Arcus Esports, a five-time champion, to coaching La Salle’s team, shared insights into their preparations. “On average, we trained six hours a day. We have the best mechanics and raw talent among the other teams. Coming into the tournament, the real enemy would be ourselves,” he remarked. Juan brings a wealth of experience from the professional esports scene, including a recent championship win with Oasis Gaming at the Predator League Philippines.

The tournament format is a single-round robin best-of-two series in each group, where teams earn three points for a 2-0 victory, one point for a 1-1 draw, and no points for a 0-2 defeat. The top two teams from each group will advance to the crossover semifinals.

Additionally, the Esports NBA2K tournament will commence on the same day with 28 matches starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Doreen Fernandez Black Box in Arete. Each school will send two players to participate in the NBA2K event, which is structured in a single-round robin best-of-one match format across two groups of eight players. The top two competitors from each group will progress to the semifinals.