From Premier to champions, Nongshim RedForce accomplished an unbelievable run with a dominant victory at VCT Masters Santiago 2026.
Nobody anticipated the VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 Grand Last to finish in simply three maps, however Nongshim RedForce made it look straightforward in opposition to Paper Rex. In a dominant 3–0 sweep, the roster accomplished an unbelievable rise, from Premier to Ascension to profitable Kickoff, earlier than lastly claiming their first worldwide title on the Masters stage.
Nongshim RedForce are your VCT Masters Santiago winners
Their story is something however odd. Only a few groups handle to climb all the way in which from Premier to the worldwide stage. Even fewer go on to win their very first worldwide event on their first try. Nongshim RedForce are your VCT Masters Santiago winners, after demolishing Paper Rex with a 3-0 victory.
This victory not solely cements NS RedForce’s unbelievable run but in addition brings a brand new wave of hope for Premier and lower-tier groups that don’t all the time see a transparent path to the primary stage. That is additionally the primary time in 5 years that two groups from the identical area face one another on a worldwide occasion’s grand finals.
The Pacific area has steadily constructed its presence on the worldwide stage, with RedForce now becoming a member of Gen.G, T1, and Paper Rex among the many groups to have lifted a Masters trophy. With this victory, the group secured six VCT factors and a $350,000 prize pool. Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu was the MVP of the event.
Don’t surrender in your desires
In a group stuffed with rookies, Goo “Rb” Sang-min was the one participant in Nongshim RedForce with worldwide expertise. His time with Imaginative and prescient Strikers, later rebranded as DRX, didn’t deliver the success he had hoped for, as he by no means managed to safe a global title. The closest he got here was on the 2022 Champions event, the place he positioned third.
Rb stepped away from the Pacific area after a disappointing 2024 season with Titan Esports Membership in VCT China. The group failed to realize the success he hoped for, and he finally left in the course of 2025.
He returned to the highlight alongside what many described as “a bunch of children” on NS RedForce. The squad completed second at Ascension and secured promotion to the primary stage. From there, the remaining is historical past. Rb lastly had the possibility to show why he’s considered an important in-game chief, guiding a group of rookies to their first worldwide title.
Nongshim RedForce delivered a narrative of resilience, energy, and expertise at VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026. The query now could be whether or not they can preserve their spectacular run heading into Stage 1.
