Nongshim RedForce captured its first international VALORANT title Sunday, defeating Paper Rex 3–0 in the grand final of VALORANT Masters Santiago at Espacio Riesco.

The victory marks the organization’s first global championship since forming its VALORANT roster in 2023, completing the tournament without dropping a match and extending a 14-match winning streak that began during the 2025 Pacific Ascension tournament and continued through VCT Pacific Kickoff and Masters Santiago. South Korean player Lee “Dambi” Hyeok-gyu was named tournament MVP for his performances on the agents Neon and Waylay. Lee won all seven matches he played using Neon during the event and was frequently highlighted by broadcast analysts for his use of Neon’s Overdrive ultimate.

Nongshim RedForce entered the event directly in the playoff stage, where the team built momentum with consecutive wins over Gentle Mates and G2 Esports before eliminating 2025 VALORANT Champions winners NRG 2–0 to reach the grand final. Paper Rex, another Pacific region representative, advanced through the lower bracket after defeating both G2 and NRG, setting up a Pacific versus Pacific championship matchup that guaranteed the region its fourth consecutive Masters title.

VALORANT Masters Santiago Final Results

The grand final saw Nongshim RedForce control the series across all three maps. On Corrode, Nongshim recovered from a 4–8 first-half deficit before winning six of the next seven rounds in the second half. A late two-kill play from Jung “Xross” Hwan helped the team break an 11–11 tie and secure a 13–11 comeback victory. The momentum carried into Split, where Nongshim opened the map with six consecutive rounds and built a 9–3 halftime lead before closing out the map quickly with three straight rounds to win 13–4.

On the final map, Abyss, Nongshim RedForce delivered its most dominant performance of the series. The team jumped to a 10–2 lead in the first half and maintained control throughout the remainder of the map, with Jung’s Sova posting a +16 kill-death differential as Nongshim secured a 13–3 victory to complete the sweep and claim the championship.

The Masters title continues Nongshim’s rapid rise within the VALORANT Champions Tour ecosystem. After earning promotion through Pacific Ascension in 2025 and qualifying for VCT Pacific 2026, the team went undefeated in the Pacific Kickoff tournament before carrying that form into Masters Santiago. Their win also marks the first time a team promoted through Ascension has gone on to win a Masters event.

During the grand final broadcast, Riot Games also revealed MIKS, the 30th playable agent in VALORANT. The character is described as a support-oriented strategist who manipulates sound energy to assist teammates and enhance coordinated plays. MIKS is scheduled to launch March 19 alongside Season 2026 // Act 2, which will also introduce a new game mode called Annihilation and a new battle pass.

VALORANT Masters events are part of Riot Games’ global esports circuit, where teams from the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China regions compete for international titles leading up to the annual Champions world championship.