List of teams qualified for Masters Santiago 2026

Masters Santiago will take place from 28 February to 16 March 2026. Twelve teams will compete for the first international trophy of the 2026 VALORANT season. Masters Santiago will bring together the top three teams from each Kickoff event in the VCT Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China. The tournament begins with an eight-team Swiss Stage for the Kickoff #2 and #3 seeds, followed by an eight-team double-elimination Playoffs in which the four Kickoff champions join as top seeds.

After a perfect run in the Pacific League, Nongshim RedForce dominated throughout the kickoff. With a roster that went through the 2025 Ascension and qualified for the VCT, Goo “Rb” Sang-min's men rose to the occasion, particularly in the final, where the roster played a game that was clearly above RRQ. They won the final, pushing to the fifth map and winning the match 3-2, qualifying as side 1 of the VCT Pacific.

T1 has secured a spot in another international event, keeping their title defense alive and earning a chance to add a second Masters trophy to their cabinet. Emerging from VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026, the Korean team shut out Rex Regum Qeon with a 3-0 sweep in the qualifier series, securing the region’s second seed for Masters Santiago. Still anchored by their lethal core and led by the ever-reliable Kim “BuZz” Byung-chul, T1 are heading into Santiago with momentum and the pressure that comes with being the team that everyone else is now measuring themselves against.

Paper Rex is heading back to the international stage, and they had to do it the hard way. After losing to Rex Regum Qeon in the upper bracket, Paper Rex pieced together a four-series lower-bracket run against Global Esports, DRX, and DetonatioN FocusMe. They closed the gauntlet with a 3-1 win over RRQ in the Lower Final, with Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto dominating with multiple kills and ending the match with a perfect ace using Veto, an agent that f0rsakeN managed to use perfectly. They secured the Pacific region’s third seed for Masters Santiago.

With the addition of Roman “f4ngeer” Smirnov from the French Tier 2 scene, a bold and calculated gamble, All Gamers took control of the VCT CN upper bracket, producing one of the tournament’s biggest surprises against the league’s top contenders. They sealed the run with a 3–2 victory over Xi Lai Gaming in the Final Upper, becoming the first team in the world to punch their ticket to Masters Santiago. For f4ngeer, the bet is already paying dividends: stepping into a new league on a different continent from anything he had previously experienced, he has made an immediate impact, jumping from French Tier 2 to his first international event as China’s first seed.

XLG Esports continue to establish themselves as one of the leading teams in the VCT China region. Narrowly defeated by All Gamers, XLG nevertheless secured the region’s second seed by overcoming Bilibili Gaming after a five-map series. Led by one of the region’s standout players, Teng “happywei” Min-wei, XLG have qualified for their second Masters appearance, following their participation in Masters Toronto last year. On that occasion, despite entering the tournament as China’s first seed, they failed to record a single victory before being eliminated.

The winners of the VALORANT Champions 2024 remain in contention and will once again compete at an international event. After dropping relatively early into the lower bracket, Edward Gaming strung together four consecutive victories, culminating in a win over Bilibili Gaming to secure the region’s final ticket to Masters Santiago. Still led by the ever-present Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang, EDG will look to reassert their international standing following a third-place finish at their most recent Masters appearance in Bangkok last year.

EMEA’s first seed has had anything but a routine journey: after starting from the earliest stages, the team won Ascension under the BBL PCIFIC tag to earn a place in the franchised league, before being acquired by BBL Esports for the 2026 season. Eren "Rosé" Erzan’s men once again pushed beyond their limits, completing a flawless, undefeated run at the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026, where they asserted their strength from the outset and stacked wins against the region’s top sides.

In the Upper Final, they edged Gentle Mates in a back-and-forth series, finding the decisive break to secure a 3–2 victory and lock in the EMEA first seed for Masters Santiago, marking for this lineup, a first EMEA split, a first trophy, and a first qualification for an international event as the former BBL PCIFIC roster.

It is a compelling narrative for Gentle Mates. At one point relegated to the VCL following disappointing performances last year, then reinstated after the departure of KOI, the French organization have now secured their first appearance at an international tournament after completing a reverse sweep against Fnatic in the middle bracket final. Despite a subsequent loss to BBL Esports, the team’s collective strength—structured around a Martin “marteen” Pátek in outstanding form—has reshaped its trajectory and ambitions. More than two years after entering the VCT, Gentle Mates can now legitimately set their sights on the upper echelons of the competition.

Heading into the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 with high expectations and a new roster, Team Liquid found themselves in a tough spot after an early 0-2 loss to Fnatic in the middle bracket. This forced them into a do-or-die run through the lower bracket. With their hopes for Masters Santiago on the line, Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin’s squad left no room for error in the rematch, dismantling Fnatic 3-0 to claim the region’s final ticket. Team Liquid will head to Chile as the third seed from EMEA for Masters Santiago, the first international tournament of the 2026 season.

FURIA clinched the top seed in the Americas by defeating Made In Brazil (MIBR) 3-2, concluding a run that few had anticipated. Considered underdogs heading into KickOff Americas 2026, the Brazilians had a perfect run in the upper bracket, stringing together victories without conceding a single series and securing their qualification for Masters Santiago in the process. After a difficult 2025 for FURIA, this qualification marks a real turning point, as they arrive on the international stage with momentum and renewed credibility in the region.

The three-time reigning champion of the VCT Americas will indeed be part of the event in Santiago. G2 Esports once again showcased their dominance in the region. After conceding a defeat to the impressive FURIA, G2 have not lost again in the middle bracket, defeating Cloud9, NRG, and Made In Brazil (MIBR) in turn. If the integration of Andrej "babybay" Francisty in place of Jonah "JonahP" Pulice seemed to spark debate at first, the performances of the former broadcaster are gradually silencing the critics, and his integration into the team seems to be paying off. Maybe he will be the element that finally allows G2 to win an international title this year.

Arriving at the start of the season as world champions, NRG got knocked out very early in this Kickoff Americas, losing to MIBR in the Winner Bracket and then to G2 Esports, which sent them to the lower bracket. NRG has one last chance to qualify for the Masters with a rematch against MIBR. Leading 2-0, Ethan "Ethan" Arnold's men reversed the sweep against the Brazilians and claimed a 3-2 victory, qualifying them as seed 3 in the Americas. NRG will now take on the world at the Masters Santiago, the first international tournament of the year.