VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 preview: format, schedule, teams, and more

With the conclusion of VCT Kickoff, top teams across all four regions are now gearing up for the first international VCT event of 2026, VALORANT Masters Santiago.

The event will feature a total of 12 teams competing for the trophy over the course of two weeks. In addition to this, crucial VCT Championship Points will be up for grabs that will contribute towards VALORANT Champions Shanghai qualification. 

Here are all the details about VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026, including its schedule, format, teams, and more. Fans can check out the information below.

The event will take place in front of a live audience from February 28th to March 15th at Espacio Riesco, the largest convention centre in Chile. This is the first time a VALORANT Masters event is headed to South America, and it is the first VCT event hosted in Chile. 

The venue holds a seating capacity of up to 10,000 people. Considering the immense viewership of LOCK//IN 2023 São Paulo, the previous South American VCT event, similar success could occur at Masters Santiago as well.

VCT EMEA, Americas, China, and Pacific will each send three representatives to battle on the international stage. Here are all the teams that advanced to VALORANT Masters Santiago:

From being one of the worst-performing teams to winning Kickoff Americas, FURIA shocked the community as it defeated an MIBR superteam, which includes Erick ‘aspas’ Santos and Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone, in the Upper Final. MIBR also lost its Bo5 Middle Final against G2 Esports 3-0, with the latter securing the region’s second seed.

In the Lower Final, despite being just one map away from joining FURIA and G2 Esports at the international event, MIBR suffered a reverse sweep against reigning VALORANT world champion NRG Esports.

VCT EMEA was arguably the most unpredictable region during Kickoff. BBL Esports’ roster, featuring PCIFIC Esports’ Ascension line-up, defeated giants such as 2023 Masters Tokyo winner Fnatic and Team Vitality to lock in its place in Masters Santiago. 

Gentle Mates, the organisation that replaced KOI in VCT EMEA for 2026, became the second team to qualify. The final spot went to Team Liquid as it clean-swept Fnatic 3-0 in the best-of-five Lower Final, resulting in the latter missing out on only its second VCT international event ever.

The signing of Gao ‘iamgrq’ Ruiqi, Zhu ‘Au1’ Yihao, and Roman ‘f4ngeer’ Smirnov did wonders for All Gamers, as the team lifted its first-ever VCT trophy and qualified for its first international event. 

Ascension team Xi Lai Gaming continued its momentum from the previous season, defeating organisations such as 2024 VALORANT Champions winner EDward Gaming and Wolves Esports to secure its place at Masters Santiago. 

EDward Gaming claimed the final spot to represent China after winning the Lower Final against Bilibili Gaming 3-1.

Nongshim RedForce became VCT Pacific’s first seed heading into Masters Santiago, becoming the second Ascension organisation to win a VCT event after G2 Esports. Experienced sides such as 2025 Masters Bangkok winner T1 and 2025 Masters Toronto champion Paper Rex are the other two teams that will represent the Pacific region. 

Interestingly, VALORANT Masters Santiago will be the first Masters event to feature three Ascension teams, including Nongshim RedForce, Xi Lai Gaming, and G2 Esports.

Heading into the tournament, it will be interesting to see whether G2 Esports will be able to lift its first-ever international trophy after dominating the regional leagues in 2025. BBL Esports from EMEA will be another team to look out for as it aims to pull off more upsets with its aggressive playstyle. 

Meanwhile, T1 and Paper Rex will look to further establish their dominance on the international stage by claiming another Masters trophy.

VALORANT Masters Santiago will consist of two stages, the Swiss Stage and Playoffs.

First seeds from each region will get a direct bye to the Playoffs, while the rest of the teams will begin their journey in the Swiss Stage, taking place from February 28th to March 4th. To qualify for the Playoffs, teams need to secure two Bo3 series wins.

With the help of a random draw held after the conclusion of VCT Kickoff across all regions, Riot Games revealed the following opening matches for VALORANT Masters Santiago:

Among the above-listed matchups, G2 Esports and Paper Rex will face each other for the fifth time in VCT. The North American organisation won the first two encounters in 2024, while the Singaporean side found success in the next two meetings in 2025.

The top four teams from the Swiss Stage will advance to the Playoffs, running from March 6th to 15th, to compete in a double elimination bracket and determine the champion. 

In addition to the trophy, the top-ranking teams will earn Championship Points as follows:

While drops for the event are yet to be revealed, pick’ems for the Swiss Stage are already live in VALORANT. Fans can lock in their predictions by heading to the Esports section in-game or the official VCT Pick’Ems website. 

In return, players will be awarded with the following exclusive items:

Pick’ems for the Playoffs will be available at a later date once all of the qualified teams are confirmed.

Fans will be able to purchase tickets from Punto Ticket’s official website to attend the event in-person. Those who are unable to fly to Santiago can catch the action live on VALORANT Champions Tour’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.