Nongshim RedForce win VCT Masters Santiago with 3–0 sweep of PRX
Nongshim RedForce are the VCT 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 champions after taking down Paper Rex in a three-map slaughter. The two squads met for the first time ever in a battle for both the Masters title and the title of best team in the Pacific region. PRX came in as the favorites but were quickly put in their place by Nongshim’s firepower. With a 3–0 scoreline, Nongshim RedForce became the first Ascension team ever to lift an international trophy.
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VCT 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 - Grand Final
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Nongshim RedForce
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Coming in as underdogs
Even though Nongshim RedForce came to Santiago as the first seed from VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Pacific Kickoff, they weren’t heavily favored against the other teams since this was their first international event. However, Nongshim proved everyone wrong, taking down one opponent after another in the upper bracket. Reaching the Grand Final unscathed made it clear that they were a legitimate contender, and the former VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025 champions were no match for them as they secured their first-ever international trophy.
A quick three map series
As the series began on Corrode, PRX quickly took control of the pace of the map. NS previous win conditions-the entries from Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu and Kim "Francis" Mu-bin-struggled to find space and secure frags. PRX ran away with the score in the first half, but the second half told a different story as NS showed a dominant defensive side. With Francis locking down rounds on the Operator and PRX looking increasingly scrambled, NS edged out Corrode 13–11 as the series moved to Split.
Split was picked by PRX, but it was NS who came out with a strong start on the map. After six rounds in a row, PRX finally found an answer to the NS defense but only managed to secure three rounds in the half. NS continued to push forward, and with Park "Ivy" Sung-hyeon claiming his first-ever ace on the international stage, it was all over for PRX as NS took Split 13–4.
Split was a huge win for NS, especially with the third map being Abyss, a map PRX had yet to play at Santiago. This put NS in a comfortable position, needing just one more map to win it all. The momentum for NS continued as PRX had no answers on Abyss. After a dominant 10–2 first half and stealing the second round after PRX won the pistol, NS secured the Masters title with a commanding 13–3 victory on Abyss.
MVP
The player to earn the Most Valuable Player title and bracelet was Dambi. Making his debut on the international stage and taking the crowd by storm with his Neon plays, he more than deserved the honor.
NS unbeaten in 2026
With this victory, Nongshim RedForce leaves Masters Santiago without dropping a single series since the start of the year. With such a dominant performance, it’s hard to believe this roster was an Ascension team just four months ago.
Nongshim RedForce has already written its name into the history books, and the year has only just begun.
For more VCT news, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.
After earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and media creation and working as a journalist for two years, Gry set her sights on her true goal: becoming an esports journalist. Although she's relatively new to esports writing, the scene itself is far from unfamiliar. After spending a few years dominating in CS:GO, she dove into VALORANT when it launched-and her passion for the game has never faded. Now, Gry is part of the content team at THESPIKEGG, where she'll conduct interviews and write a variety of articles.
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