Nongshim RedForce and T1 have secured the first two Pacific slots for Masters Santiago after topping the Upper and Mid Brackets at the 2026 VCT Pacific Kickoff, with Paper Rex claiming the final berth through the Lower Bracket.

Developer and publisher Riot Games announced that the three teams will represent the Pacific league at the first international stop of this year’s VALORANT Champions Tour. Week 4 matches ran Feb. 12–15 at SOOP Colosseum in Seoul’s Mapo-gu district.

Final Results of the 2026 VCT Pacific Kickoff

Nongshim RedForce delivered an undefeated campaign and the organization’s first Masters qualification. After wins over Team Secret, T1 and Full Sense, the team edged Rex Regum Qeon 3–2 in the Upper Bracket Final.

Key performances from Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-gyu on Neon and Jung "Xross" Hwan on Sova powered a dominant Haven victory that swung the best-of-five. Nongshim RedForce then closed the deciding map, Breeze, 13–7 to punch the first ticket to Santiago.

The result caps a turnaround for a roster built around the former Sin Prisa Gaming lineup, promoted through VCT Ascension Pacific 2024. After a middling 2025 season, the addition of veteran flex Goo "Rb" Sang-min in 2026 helped stabilize the squad as it finished the Kickoff without a series loss.

Dropping from the Upper Bracket after falling to Nongshim, T1 recovered to claim Mid Bracket first place. The team swept DetonatioN FocusMe and then RRQ, not dropping a single map in Week 4. Ham "iZu" Woo-joo led the way on Pearl, while Kim "Meteor" Tae-oh’s Viper posted a standout kill-death margin in the semifinal sweep.

In the Mid Bracket Final, T1 closed out RRQ 3–0, surviving an overtime scare on Abyss behind clutch plays from in-game leader Kim "stax" Gu-taek and Yu "BuZz" Byeong-cheol on Yoru. Paper Rex completed the Pacific trio by defeating RRQ 3–1 in the Lower Bracket Final. Adrian "Invy" Reyes delivered a pivotal triple kill late in the series, and Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto sealed the final map with an ace to secure the third seed.

Masters Santiago is scheduled for Feb. 28–March 14 at Espacio Riesco in Santiago, Chile, featuring 12 teams competing for the first international trophy of the 2026 VCT season.