ZOL Esports proud despite buckle in APAC Predator League 2025
Pinoy VALORANT squad ZOL Esports finish the APAC Predator League 2025 as the runners-up as they buckle in the grand final against Alter Ego.
ZOL Esports shock many
ZOL began the event in Group D along with South Korean team CNEsports, Chinese team All Gamers Young, and VCT Pacific newcomers BOOM Esports from Indonesia. This is the first time they’re fielding their two new members, Yousef “Hotsauz” El-Yousef and Emmanuel “Emman” Morales.
Since the tournament format allows only one team to advance per group, many expected BOOM to be the sure-fire winner of the group. However, ZOL Esports shattered expectations and took down the favorites, 13-7, when the two met during the group’s decider match.
Team Secret, the only other PH team in the tournament, failed to make it out of their group. “Pinoy pride pa din,” says Team Secret in-game leader Jessie “JessieVash” Cuyco about ZOL’s advancement, despite his own team’s unfortunate result.
ZOL first faced the Malaysian team Xipto Esports in the semifinal. This was a 2-0 sweep from ZOL, which included a 13-0 map. This earned them a spot in the grand final against Alter Ego. Hailing from Indonesia, Alter Ego had a great 2024, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Splits 1, 2, and 3 of VCT Challengers ID, respectively.
As the underdogs, ZOL was not expected to win in this matchup. They still put up a fight, despite the apparent gap between the two teams.
ZOL Esports says that they are still proud of their finish as runners-up. Franz Kevin “Kevzii” Dingal says “Kahit na bagong roster kami tapos two weeks practice lang; nakita naman natin ‘yung progress ng team.”
Looking ahead to the VALORANT Challengers 2025: Southeast Asia, “Mataas yung tiwala ko sa team na to na… kaya namin manalo sa [VCT Challengers SEA],” says Emman.
VCT Challengers SEA 2025 Split 1 begins January 16.
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