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

With the completion of the VCT Kickoff, the top teams from all four regions are now preparing for the first international VCT event of 2026, VALORANT Masters Santiago.

The event will cover the theme 12 groups to fight for the trophy in two weeks time. Moreover, it is important VCT Championship Points will be taken to contribute to this VALORANT Champions Shanghai eligibility.

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

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

This place can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Considering the great viewing of LOCK//IN 2023 São Paulo, the previous VCT event in South America, the same success could happen at Masters Santiago.

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

From being one of the underdogs to winning the Kickoff Americas, FURIA shock the public as he defeats the MIBR superteam, including Erick’asparagus‘Santos and Zachary’zek‘ Patrone, in Upper Final. MIBR also lost the Bo5 Middle Final against them G2 Sports 3-0, and the latter received the second regional seed.

In the Lower Finals, despite being one map away from joining FURIA and G2 Esports in the international event, MIBR faced off against reigning world champion VALORANT. NRG Sports.

VCT EMEA was arguably the most anticipated region during Kickoff. BBL Sports‘ List, which features PCIFIC Esports’ Ascension line-up, defeated giants such as 2023 Masters Tokyo winner Fnatic and Team Vitality to lock in their place at Masters Santiago.

Gentle Friendsthe organization that replaced KOI in VCT EMEA in 2026, became the second team to qualify. The last place went there Team Liquid as they swept Fnatic 3-0 in the best-of-five finals, resulting in the team missing out on their second VCT international event.

Gao’s signatureimgrq‘Ruiqi, Zhu’Au1‘Yihao, and Roman’f4 with‘ Smirnov worked wonders All Gamersas the team lifted its first ever VCT trophy and qualified for its first international event.

The Ascension Team Xi Lai Gaming continued their momentum from last season, defeating the likes of 2024 VALORANT Champions winner Edward Gaming and Wolves Esports to secure their spot at Masters Santiago.

Edward Games earned the final spot to represent China after winning the Lower Final against Bilibili Gaming 3-1.

Nongshim RedForce became the first VCT Pacific seed to Masters Santiago, becoming the second Ascension organization to win a VCT event after G2 Esports. Experienced sides such as the winner of the 2025 Masters Bangkok T1 and the champion of the 2025 Masters Toronto Paper Rex the other two teams 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 if G2 Esports will be able to lift their first ever international trophy after dominating the regional leagues in 2025. EMEA’s BBL Esports will be another team to watch as they aim to pull off another upset with their aggressive style of play.

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 have two stages, i The Swiss stage again Playoffs games.

The first seed from each region will receive direct passage to the Playoffs, while the rest of the teams will begin their journey at the Swiss Stage, which will take place from February 28 to March 4. To qualify for the Playoffs, teams need to secure two Bo3 series wins.

With the help of a random draw held after the end of the VCT Kickoff in all regions, Riot Games has revealed the opening match for VALORANT Masters Santiago:

Among the matchups listed above, G2 Esports and Paper Rex will face off for the fifth time in the VCT. The North American side won the first two matches 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 6 to 15competing in a double-elimination bracket to decide the champion.

Apart from the trophy, the top teams will be awarded Championship Points as follows:

While the event drops are yet to be revealed, the Swiss Stage pick’em is live on VALORANT. Fans can close their predictions by going to the in-game Esports section or the official VCT Pick’Ems website.

In return, players will be rewarded with the following special items:

Pick’ems for the Playoffs will be available at a later date once all qualifying teams have been confirmed.

Fans will be able to purchase tickets on the official Punto Ticket website to attend the event in person. Those who can’t fly to Santiago can catch the action live on the official VALORANT Champions Tour Twitch and YouTube channels.