The 12 teams that will travel to Chile for the first international event in 2026, VALORANT Masters Santiago, have finally been identified. From February 28 to March 15, the best representatives of the four regions (America, EMEA, China and the Pacific region) will compete for the right to lift the trophy over their heads. Riot Games, apparently, decided not to delay and immediately rolled out the details of the opening matches and the structure of the championship.
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Ascension teams at VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026
This VCT season has already become historic — for the first time, three organizations that have made their way through the Ascension system are going to the Masters at once. We will see in the case of Xi Lai Gaming from China, Nongshim RedForce from the Pacific region and G2 Esports, which have already become “their own” in the American league. This breaks all the old ideas about the dominance of partner teams.
Interestingly, Nongshim RedForce not only qualified, but became the second in history (after the same G2) who managed to win the Kickoff tournament. The tournament in Santiago will be held without Fnatic — fans, to put it mildly, are shocked, because this is only the second case of the Orange skipping an international event during the entire time of the affiliate program. While some are crying, others are, let’s say, celebrating: FURIA and BBL Esports are going to collect their honestly earned points.
Full list of participants by region
The qualification was tough — the RRQ and MIBR teams flew offensively, losing three decisive series in a row. As a result, we have the following scenario:
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China: All Gamers (champions), Xi Lai Gaming, EDward Gaming.
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Pacific Region: Nongshim RedForce (Champions), T1, Paper Rex.
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America: FURIA (champions), G2 Esports, NRG.
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EMEA: BBL Esports (champions), Gentle Mates, Team Liquid.
In addition to prestige, Championship points are at stake — they, by the way, will be crucial for the trip to Champions Shanghai. The winner in Santiago will get 4 points, the finalist — 3, and the third and fourth places will receive 2 and 1 points, respectively.
Top teams and forecast of the winner of the Masters Santiago 2026
Among the favorites of VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026, analysts are eyeing:
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Paper Rex — stable aggression and a deep pool of agents
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EDward Gaming — discipline and experience of international finals
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G2 Esports is one of the most confident roasters in the American league
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Nongshim RedForce is a powerful debutant with champion momentum
If we talk about the projected winner of the Masters 2026, much will depend on adaptation to the meta patch and stability in the Bo5 series. The Santiago tournament traditionally sets the tone for the entire VCT season and directly affects the balance of power before Champions Shanghai.
VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 Format and Schedule
The structure of VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026, in general, divides the participants into two echelons. The winners of their regions (All Gamers, Nongshim, FURIA and BBL) received a golden ticket to the playoffs. The remaining eight teams will have to survive in the Swiss stage from February 28 to March 4.
The starting pairs in the Swiss look great:
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Gentle Mates vs EDward Gaming — the battle of Europe and China.
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T1 vs Team Liquid is a classic confrontation between East and West.
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G2 Esports vs Paper Rex — the battle for hype, in short.
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Xi Lai Gaming vs NRG is a strength test for beginners.
As a result, only the top four teams from Switzerland will advance. The playoffs will start on March 6 and will be held in the Double Elimination format, where any mistake can be fatal. Of course, look for the final broadcasts on Twitch and YouTube — Riot promises a top picture and a lot of content.
Full tournament format: Swiss stage and playoffs in detail
VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026, in fact, opens the season of large VCT LAN tournaments, bringing together 12 elite squads under one roof. The organizers decided to combine the Swiss system and the classic Double Elimination. To be honest, this creates a hellish mix, where matches in Bo3 and Bo5 formats test not only skill, but also endurance. Sowing here is not just a formality, but, in fact, a sentence or a start in life.
VCT 2026 Swiss Tournament Bo3 Rules and Format
The teams that took the second and third places in their regions, with a total of eight teams, get into the “Swiss” VCT 2026. But the Kickoff champions, apparently, hit the jackpot: they skip this chaos and rest while the rest bite each other’s throats for reaching the playoffs. In fact, this gives the leaders a huge carte blanche in the form of extra time to study the strategies of their opponents.
The principle of survival here is tough: two wins and you’re in the top, two defeats — a suitcase, a train station, a house. All meetings are held in the Bo3 format, so there’s plenty of time for a comeback, but any mistake immediately throws you to the bottom of the grid. By the way, pairs are formed in a mirror way: winners fight with winners, and losers — with the same poor devils.
For those who follow the numbers or indulge in betting, there is an insider: check the pool of cards. Broad-based teams are, in fact, pulling out protracted Bo3s on a clean economy. Newcomers often fall apart in the 4th-5th round due to stupid “force buys”, while the favorites pragmatically save on pistols. Such details, by the way, decide the outcome of the Swiss.
Masters Santiago 2026 Double Elimination Playoffs
The final stage will bring together eight teams: four “untouchable” champions and four survivors of the Swiss crucible. The Double Elimination system is, let’s say, a second chance for those who stumble. This whole celebration of life will last for 5-7 days, escalating the drama to the limit.
Almost all the games will be held in Bo3, but the finals of the lower bracket and the Grand Finals are already serious Bo5. This is where, in truth, the true depth of roasters is revealed. The seeding works like this: the Kickoff champions fly into the top bracket on regional points, and the Swiss nationals prop them up from below.
Adaptation is critical in Bo5. Teams like Gen.G, for example, love to change the use of utilities right in the middle of a match, which brings them victory in 70% of finals. Curiously, if a favorite falls into the “loser” too early, his path becomes shorter by a couple of matches, but the risk of emotional burnout skyrockets along the way.
Masters Santiago 2026 seeding and its impact
The weight of a team at the Santiago Masters directly depends on how they shot back at the regional Kickoffs. First place is not only a direct passage to the playoffs, but also a mountain of points: a victory at the Kickoff gives 4 points, and a triumph in the Masters playoffs can bring up to 50 points to the Champions. This is, in fact, the shortest route to the final championship in Shanghai.
For February 2026, the alignment is as follows:
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Americas: Leviatán and NRG are in the lead.
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EMEA: FNATIC and Team Heretics rule the ball.
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Pacific: Gen.G, DRX and T1 are already packing their bags.
High seeding, in principle, allows you to save energy, because such teams spend 20-30% less Bo3 matches before the finals. As a result, the favorites take the top grid in 80% of cases. However, if you play in fantasy leagues, I advise you to look at the “underdogs” from the lower grid like Paper Rex – these guys historically love to break scenarios in Bo5 immediately after leaving the Swiss. So get ready, the heat wave in Santiago is just beginning.
