The 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Kickoff tournaments wrapped up last weekend, finalizing the teams from the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific regions that will compete at Masters Santiago. The matches featured a mix of decisive wins and unexpected results as teams battled for the remaining spots.
VCT Pacific Kickoff Event
Nongshim RedForce, recently promoted from the Ascension circuit, finished as the top seed. Paper Rex and T1 also qualified for the Masters Santiago. Paper Rex’s f0rsaken helped lock in their spot with a 101-kill performance.
Once the dust cleared on the VCT Pacific Kickoff Lower Final, all eyes turned to the stage for a highly anticipated group draw, preparing the ground for VCT Pacific Stage 1.
Following the format used in the Americas, the 12 Pacific squads were seeded into six pools based on their Kickoff standings. Each pool sent one contender to Group Alpha, the other to Group Omega, laying the groundwork for some tantalizing matchups.
Here’s how the groups shook out:
Group Alpha:
- Nongshim RedForce
- Paper Rex
- DRX
- Global Esports
- Gen.G
- Team Secret
Group Omega:
- T1
- Rex Regum Qeon
- DetonatioN FocusMe
- FULL SENSE
- ZETA DIVISION
- VARREL
The group stage draw instantly delivered some storylines to watch. Group Alpha is stacked with four different Pacific champions and will feature a heated head coach rivalry between DRX and Global Esports. Meanwhile, Group Omega promises fireworks as all three Japanese rosters are prepared to clash, and T1 gets a shot at redemption in a much-anticipated rematch against RRQ.
The Road to Santiago: Regional Highlights
In the Americas, FURIA earned their first Masters qualification as the region’s top seed after a close 3-2 win over MIBR. G2 Esports and NRG also secured spots at the Masters Santiago. G2 swept MIBR 3-0 in the Mid Bracket Final, and NRG finished a strong lower bracket run with a 3-0 win over MIBR to claim the last slot.
In EMEA, the narrative centered on the fall of a titan. Team Liquid pulled off a massive upset by “liquifying” the fan-favorites, Fnatic, with a 3-0 sweep in the Lower Bracket Final. This victory earned Liquid the final regional slot, joining BBL Esports and Gentle Mates as the EMEA representatives for Masters Santiago. A standout performance came from Gentle Mates’ marteen, who broke the all-time VCT kill record by dropping 125 kills in a single Best-of-5 series against Fnatic.
Click here to find the standings of all the VCT Kickoff teams.
Key Takeaways and New Formats
The 2026 Kickoff introduced a grueling triple-elimination format, a change designed to ensure the most resilient teams advanced. This shift resulted in record-breaking viewership, particularly in the Pacific region, where total watch time rose by 50% compared to previous years.
Masters Santiago is the first global event of the year and will feature 12 teams. For the first time, three teams from each of the four international leagues—Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China—will compete for Championship Points.
Masters Santiago Qualified Teams
| Americas | FURIA, G2 Esports, NRG |
| EMEA | BBL Esports, Gentle Mates, Team Liquid |
| Pacific | Nongshim RedForce, T1, Paper Rex |
| China | All Gamers, XLG Esports, EDward Gaming |
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