VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 Results: Nongshim RedForce Wins, Dambi Named MVP

VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 esports tournament results: Favorites collapse, debut victory for Nongshim RedForce, and well-deserved MVP for Dambi
 
VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 concluded with a sensational victory for the Korean team Nongshim RedForce, which was not even considered among the top five favorites of the tournament. In this 1xBet review, we take a look at how the first Masters event of the current season unfolded.

The VALORANT esports calendar includes three splits across four regional leagues, two Masters events, and one World Cup. Qualification for international tournaments is based on split results, so it is crucial for ambitious teams to secure top positions in their regions.

 

VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 was held from February 28 to March 15 in the capital of Chile, with a total prize pool of $1,000,000. Twelve of the world’s strongest squads were invited to the competition, the top three from each region. The group stage, in a Swiss system, featured eight teams that had placed second and third in the first regional Kickoff split.

Swiss stage

At this stage, Gentle Mates and Paper Rex delivered perfect performances, each winning two matches and securing early qualification for the playoffs. With a 2-1 record, both representatives of the Americas region, NRG and G2 Esports, also advanced.

Meanwhile, EDward Gaming, the winners of VALORANT Champions 2024 and the main favorites of the Masters, sensationally lost both of their clashes and were eliminated from title contention. Joining them at the bottom of the standings was XLG Esports.

Fans had clearly expected more from T1 and Team Liquid, but these strong participants failed to win their decisive elimination matches and exited the tournament with 1-2 records.

Playoffs

In the playoff stage, the regional league champions, FURIA, All Gamers, BBL Esports, and Nongshim RedForce, entered the competition. The Americas region had the strongest representation in the final phase with three teams, followed by Pacific and EMEA (two squads each), while China was represented solely by All Gamers.

Despite their top status, FURIA were the first to exit the tournament, losing both playoff matches by identical 1-2 scores. Quite unexpectedly, Gentle Mates, the best of the group stage, were also eliminated early. They were followed by All Gamers and BBL Esports, while the American organizations NRG and G2 Esports secured 3rd and 4th place, mirroring their group-stage results.

The main struggle for the VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 title unfolded between Pacific League representatives Nongshim RedForce and Paper Rex. Paper Rex was considered the favorite in this matchup, having won three regional splits and claimed the VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 title last year. The team still features VALORANT legends – Indonesian player Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto and Malaysian player Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee, who joined Paper Rex back in 2021.

Nongshim RedForce, on the other hand, qualified for VCT Pacific 2025 and 2026 through the Ascension tournaments, with their only notable achievement prior to this being their victory at the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff.

Despite the difference in level, the two squads took completely different paths to the grand final. Nongshim RedForce remained undefeated throughout the tournament, beating Gentle Mates (2-0), G2 Esports (2-1), and NRG (2-0). Meanwhile, Paper Rex, after an opening win against FURIA (2-1), lost to NRG (0-2) and dropped to the lower bracket, where they fought their way to the final through matches against All Gamers (2-1), G2 Esports (2-1), and NRG (3-1).

Grand final

Although Nongshim RedForce and Paper Rex compete in the same league, they had not faced each other before the VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 final. The grand event started on Corrode, the pick of the Nongshim RedForce, who initially allowed their opponents to take the lead (4:8). However, after switching sides, the team mounted a comeback, winning three times as many rounds (9:3) and securing the first map (13:11).

On their rivals’ pick, Split, Nongshim RedForce set a high tempo from the very beginning and finished the map in just half an hour – 9:3 on defense and 4:1 on attack (13:4). They sealed the series in the same dominant fashion on Abyss, conceding only three rounds to Paper Rex (13:3)!

On the decisive third map, Jung "Xross" Hwan delivered a standout performance with top stats: ACS 359, ADR 245, and KDA 21/5/5. Across all three maps of the final, Xross recorded 60 kills and an ACS of 277. However, the tournament MVP was rightfully awarded to Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu, whose contribution proved decisive in securing the victory.

 

Looking at the individual statistics of Nongshim RedForce, it is clear that every player performed at a high level without any drop-off. According to 1xBet esports experts, this consistency was the key factor behind Nongshim RedForce’s first major success on the international stage.