Nongshim Wins Masters Santiago
Nongshim RedForce just claimed their first international VALORANT title at Masters Santiago — they swept Paper Rex 3–0 in the grand final and their tournament run featured a dominant 9–1 map record and a 127–90 round tally that rivals historic runs win report stats thread. Expect them to be a major force in the Pacific split going forward.
VALORANT Masters Santiago ran Feb. 28–Mar. 15, 2026 at Espacio Riesco in Santiago, Chile (liquipedia.net) and carried a $1,000,000 prize pool. (dotesports.com) Nongshim earned the $350,000 first-place prize and six VCT Points for the win. (gosugamers.net) Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu was named tournament MVP for his performances across the event. (bo3.gg) Dambi (born June 22, 2006) is listed as the team’s standout impact player on Liquipedia. (liquipedia.net) The grand-final maps finished Corrode 13–11, Split 13–4 and Abyss 13–3, showing where Nongshim closed the series out decisively. (shanethegamer.com) Across the Playoffs Nongshim dropped just one map total — that lone loss came in a 2–1 Upper Semifinal against G2. (liquipedia.net) Before the final they beat NRG 2–0 in the upper-bracket final, taking Bind 13–9 and Abyss 13–11 to secure their spot on the title day. (bo3.gg) The run carried historic weight: Nongshim became the first team to climb from Premier through Ascension and then lift an international Masters trophy, a milestone noted by multiple outlets. (gosugamers.net) Nongshim return to VCT Pacific competition next, with VCT Pacific Stage 1 scheduled to begin in early April (Stage 1 listed from April 2, 2026), where those six VCT Points will matter for Champions qualification. (liquipedia.net)
