Defending champions DLSU Viridis Arcus return to action in the UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament as Season 87 kicks off on May 7 at Gateway Mall 2.
Defending champion De La Salle University (DLSU) Viridis Arcus kicks off its title defense in the UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament on Wednesday, May 7, at the Quantum Skyview Deck, Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
La Salle headlines Group A and opens its campaign against National University, bringing back a familiar face in Xavier “xavi8k” Juan—last season’s head coach—who returns to the playing roster after regaining his amateur eligibility.
“Deep inside, I’m still a player. My passion is to compete,” said Juan, who steered La Salle to the inaugural UAAP VALORANT title in 2023. “Maybe in the future, I’ll coach again, but right now, I still want to play—and I know I can still compete.”
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Juan also led the squad to a runner-up finish at the Predator League Philippines 2025, further cementing Viridis Arcus as one of the country's top collegiate VALORANT teams.
Former UP head coach Aron Orlando now takes over the reins for La Salle as the team looks to maintain its dominance in the UAAP scene.
DLSU joins NU, Ateneo, and UE in Group A, where teams will play in a single round-robin, best-of-three format. The top two advance to the crossover semifinals.
Group B features last season’s runners-up University of Santo Tomas, along with Adamson University, University of the Philippines, and Far Eastern University.
The VALORANT tournament kicks off a stacked esports calendar for UAAP Season 87, with NBA 2K and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournaments to follow from May 13 to 16.
Fans can catch all the action live on Pilipinas Live and the UAAP Varsity Channel.