VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026: Full Schedule, Results, Teams, Format and Prize Pool
TL;DR
- VALORANT Masters Santiago runs from February 28 to March 15, 2026 at Espacio Riesco in Santiago, Chile, marking the first time a Masters event has been held in Latin America, with 12 teams competing across a Swiss Stage and double-elimination Playoffs.
- The field includes Kickoff winners FURIA (Americas), BBL Esports (EMEA), Nongshim RedForce (Pacific), and All Gamers (China) as top seeds, joined by eight teams who fought through the Swiss Stage for the remaining playoff spots.
Santiago, Chile is hosting the VALORANT world for the first time. Masters Santiago is the opening international LAN of the 2026 VCT season and the first Masters event ever held in Latin America, a long-overdue milestone for a region that has consistently been one of the loudest, most passionate parts of the global VALORANT community.
Twelve teams flew in representing all four international leagues: Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China. Some arrived as top seeds having won their regional Kickoff tournaments. Others had to earn their spot the hard way through a Swiss Stage grind. Here's everything you need to know about how it all played out.
The structure is clean and logical once you understand the entry points. Two stages, one objective.
The Swiss Stage
Eight teams entered the Swiss Stage, specifically the second and third-place finishers from each regional Kickoff. All matches were best-of-three. Teams needed to go 2-0 or 2-1 to advance, with 0-2 records sending squads home early. It ran from February 28 to March 4.
Four teams survived and joined the eight waiting in the Playoffs. Worth noting: Riot had to redo the Round 2 bracket mid-event after a live draw error, which added an unexpected layer of drama to proceedings even before a single Playoff match was played.
The Playoff Bracket
Double-elimination from March 6 onwards. The four Kickoff winners entered as top seeds with an immediate upper bracket advantage. Most matches were best-of-three, with the lower bracket final and grand final stepping up to best-of-five.
The final day is March 15. Championship Points are on the line throughout, with finishing position determining how many points each team banks toward Champions Shanghai qualification.
All 12 Qualified Teams
Every team earned their place through their regional Kickoff performance. The path was consistent across all four leagues: finish in the top three.
Americas
FURIA qualified as Kickoff winners and entered as a top seed. G2 Esports finished second in the Americas Kickoff. NRG placed third.
EMEA
BBL Esports won EMEA Kickoff and entered as a top seed. Gentle Mates finished second. Team Liquid rounded out the EMEA contingent in third.
Pacific
Nongshim RedForce claimed the Pacific Kickoff title and top seed status. T1 finished second. Paper Rex qualified third.
China
All Gamers won the China Kickoff and earned a top seed. Xi Lai Gaming placed second. EDward Gaming qualified third.
Masters Santiago Results and Schedule
Swiss Stage Results
February 28 (Saturday)
Gentle Mates defeated EDward Gaming 2-0 on Haven (13-11) and Pearl (13-7). NRG defeated XLG Esports 2-0 on Haven (13-2) and Abyss (13-10).
March 1 (Sunday)
Paper Rex defeated G2 Esports 2-0 on Split (13-9) and Corrode (13-5). Team Liquid defeated T1 2-0 on Breeze (13-8) and Split (15-13).
March 2 (Monday)
Paper Rex defeated NRG 2-1, winning Split (13-10), dropping Pearl (10-13), and taking Haven (13-11). Gentle Mates defeated Team Liquid 2-0 on Pearl (13-11) and Bind (13-3).
March 3 (Tuesday)
T1 defeated EDward Gaming 2-0 on Bind (13-1) and Haven (13-10). G2 Esports defeated XLG Esports 2-0 on Abyss (13-8) and Haven (13-3).
March 4 (Wednesday)
NRG defeated Team Liquid 2-0 on Breeze (13-11) and Abyss (13-4). G2 Esports defeated T1 2-0 on Breeze (13-6) and Haven (16-14).
Swiss Stage qualifiers advancing to Playoffs: Paper Rex, Gentle Mates, NRG, and G2 Esports.
Swiss Stage eliminations: EDward Gaming, XLG Esports, Team Liquid, and T1.
Playoff Results
March 6 (Friday) - Upper Quarterfinals
Paper Rex defeated FURIA 2-1: FURIA took Haven (13-9), Paper Rex won Breeze (13-4) and Split (13-7). Nongshim RedForce defeated Gentle Mates 2-0 on Haven (13-10) and Corrode (13-10).
March 7 (Saturday) - Upper Quarterfinals
NRG defeated BBL Esports 2-1: BBL won Pearl (13-6), NRG took Abyss (13-13) and Split (17-15). G2 Esports defeated All Gamers 2-0 on Split (13-6) and Abyss (13-4).
March 8 (Sunday) - Lower Round 1
BBL Esports eliminated FURIA 2-1. All Gamers eliminated Gentle Mates 2-1. FURIA finished 7th/8th. Gentle Mates finished 7th/8th.
March 9 (Monday) - Upper Semifinals
Nongshim RedForce defeated G2 Esports 2-1: G2 won Abyss (13-7), NSR took Corrode (13-7) and Split (14-12). NRG defeated Paper Rex 2-0 on Pearl (14-12) and Bind (13-11).
March 10 (Tuesday) - Lower Round 2
Paper Rex defeated All Gamers 2-1. G2 Esports defeated BBL Esports 2-0 on Haven (13-5) and Breeze (13-8). All Gamers finished 5th/6th. BBL Esports finished 5th/6th.
March 11-12: No matches scheduled.
Upcoming Finals Schedule
March 13 (Friday)
Upper Final: Nongshim RedForce vs NRG
Lower Round 3: Paper Rex vs G2 Esports
March 14 (Saturday)
Lower Bracket Final
March 15 (Sunday)
Grand Final
What Masters Santiago Means for the VCT Season
This event is more than just the first international LAN. It's a calibration moment. Regional Kickoffs tell you who's strong locally. Masters tells you who's actually built for the world stage.
It's also a significant landmark for Latin America. VALORANT's LATAM community has been one of the most vocal in the world since the game launched, and bringing a Masters event to Santiago is recognition of that. Espacio Riesco, the venue, holds tens of thousands of fans, and you don't need to watch long to see what this means to them.
The teams left standing heading into the March 13 semifinals, Nongshim RedForce, NRG, Paper Rex, and G2 Esports, have each earned their position through a different route, making the remaining bracket genuinely unpredictable.
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