Two favorites eliminated: FURIA and Gentle Mates exit Santiago

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 is ramping up as the playoffs continue. With the group stage behind us and the opening matchups already played, it was time for the first elimination matches of the playoffs. Three top seeds failed to find success in their first match at the event and are therefore forced to fight through the lower bracket. Today, FURIA and Gentle Mates saw their journeys come to an end.

First seed face-off

The first match of the day featured two top-seeded teams. The rookies on BBL Esports surprised the EMEA scene as they arrived in Santiago unbeaten. However, they started their Masters run with a loss after a close match against NRG. FURIA has had a similar campaign, losing their opening match 2–1 to previous Masters winners Paper Rex.

In the matchup against FURIA, BBL quickly took control on their opponents’ map pick, Haven, with a strong defense. They secured the map 13–7, sending the series to BBL’s pick, Breeze, where momentum swung back and forth between the teams. The map turned into a thrifty battle, with both squads stepping up in key moments. In the end, FURIA came out on top and stole the map from BBL with a 13–10 victory.

The final map, Abyss, proved to be another close contest as both teams found more success on the defensive side. A fatal mistake from Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic near overtime—jumping off the map—was the nail in the coffin for FURIA, as BBL closed it out 13–11.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026

FURIA

1

X

2

BBL Esports

Lower Bracket Round 1 of 4, Best of 3 - March 8, 2026 - 5:00PM

7

Haven

13

13

Breeze

10

11

Abyss

13

FURIA

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

eeiu

1.20

221

55/41/19

+14

1.34

69.5%

150.0

37%

60%

6

4

artzin

1.08

215

53/50/16

+3

1.06

72.7%

137.8

28%

50%

8

8

alym

1.02

205

49/49/14

0

1.00

64.2%

125.9

29%

59%

13

9

koalanoob

0.91

174

43/45/17

-2

0.96

67.3%

107.7

18%

36%

4

7

nerve

0.82

177

36/50/21

-14

0.72

68.5%

119.8

23%

44%

4

5

BBL Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Lar0k

1.21

249

61/47/12

+14

1.30

71.7%

162.5

27%

47%

7

8

Loita

1.14

196

46/48/37

-2

0.96

74.9%

127.4

30%

43%

3

4

Crewen

0.98

206

50/47/10

+3

1.06

73.2%

142.3

33%

54%

7

6

Rosé

0.79

172

36/45/19

-9

0.80

66.6%

123.0

32%

50%

5

5

lovers rock

0.77

166

40/49/9

-9

0.82

64.5%

102.4

16%

45%

10

12

FURIA now leave Santiago disappointed and without a win. In the post-match press conference, Head Coach Ian "shaW" Jardim reflected on how the many different challenges of the international scene affected the team:

We faced different game styles in this tournament. Now my rookies have more experience of how to handle the pressure. When we go back to Stage 1, it's ten people in the crowd and easier to handle the pressure. It’s too many lessons to be honest.

The last hope of China shuts marteen down

Another top seed found itself in the lower bracket as All Gamers lost to G2 Esports in their opening match. Today, they faced the second seed from EMEA, Gentle Mates. M8 were also coming off a tough loss against Nongshim RedForce that sent them down to the lower bracket.

The series started on M8’s pick, Pearl. The EMEA squad quickly showed their dominance, winning both pistol rounds and securing several rounds despite being down a player. They closed out the map convincingly with a 13–5 scoreline.

With an ace from Huang "K1ra" Zhihao in the pistol round and a bonus-round conversion on Split, things started to look much better for AG. M8 looked lost as AG took control, locking down sites and delivering a flawless attacking half. K1ra, finishing with a 22/11 K/D, helped AG secure their map pick 13–4.

After being rolled over on Split, M8 were looking for revenge on the decider map, Bind. A solid attacking half, with Martin "marteen" Pátek once again coming online, gave them a strong 8–4 advantage. However, AG quickly evened the score in the second half, and M8 were unable to regain their momentum. AG closed out the map 13–8 to keep their tournament run alive in Santiago.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026

Gentle Mates

1

X

2

All Gamers

Lower Bracket Round 1 of 4, Best of 3 - March 8, 2026 - 8:30PM

13

Pearl

5

4

Split

13

8

Bind

13

Gentle Mates

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

marteen

1.26

240

49/36/16

+13

1.36

78.9%

155.4

25%

62%

8

5

starxo

0.96

190

37/42/15

-5

0.88

65.2%

123.7

30%

67%

2

1

bipo

0.79

169

34/45/9

-11

0.76

63.9%

107.9

24%

52%

11

10

Minny

0.77

172

33/39/8

-6

0.85

71.5%

111.8

33%

59%

10

7

GLYPH

0.67

140

25/41/14

-16

0.61

64.6%

95.9

28%

67%

2

1

All Gamers

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

K1ra

1.23

258

55/39/5

+16

1.41

67.6%

166.8

25%

25%

3

9

iamgrq

1.10

202

39/33/29

+6

1.18

76.8%

130.6

29%

25%

2

6

Au1

0.93

202

37/37/17

0

1.00

77.0%

135.1

13%

33%

3

6

Shr1mp

0.89

160

33/33/16

0

1.00

74.4%

106.9

33%

63%

5

3

f4ngeer

0.86

181

39/36/5

+3

1.08

70.0%

118.1

23%

50%

10

10

The fight continues

BBL and AG will now continue fighting for survival in the lower bracket. Tomorrow’s matches will feature Nongshim RedForce facing G2, as well as a rematch between PRX and NRG.

For more news about Masters Santiago, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.

Featured image source: Liu YiCun/Riot Games