From Premier to champions, Nongshim RedForce completed an incredible run with a dominant victory at VCT Masters Santiago 2026.
No one expected the VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 Grand Final to end in just three maps, but Nongshim RedForce made it look easy against Paper Rex. In a dominant 3–0 sweep, the roster completed an incredible rise, from Premier to Ascension to winning Kickoff, before finally claiming their first international title on the Masters stage.
Nongshim RedForce are your VCT Masters Santiago winners
Their story is anything but ordinary. Very few teams manage to climb all the way from Premier to the international stage. Even fewer go on to win their very first international tournament on their first attempt. Nongshim RedForce are your VCT Masters Santiago winners, after demolishing Paper Rex with a 3-0 victory.
This victory not only cements NS RedForce’s incredible run but also brings a new wave of hope for Premier and lower-tier teams that don’t always see a clear path to the main stage. This is also the first time in five years that two teams from the same region face each other on a international event’s grand finals.
The Pacific region has steadily built its presence on the international stage, with RedForce now joining Gen.G, T1, and Paper Rex among the teams to have lifted a Masters trophy. With this victory, the team secured six VCT points and a $350,000 prize pool. Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu was the MVP of the tournament.
Paper Rex and the second place
Harley “dsn” Örvall, Chief Gaming Officer of Paper Rex, addressed the loss by acknowledging that the team hasn’t achieved the results they were aiming for, but emphasized that they are stronger and more united than ever. “No team sets out to finish second. But let us be clear about what this result represents: Paper Rex has now reached the world championship final four times, qualified for 12/13 international events, and never once failed to be among the last teams standing at any international tournament we have entered,” he added. “That is a record that no other organisation in the world holds.”
The team’s head coach, Alexandre “alecks” Sallé, also took the opportunity to address the team’s second-place finish at the VALORANT Masters Santiago. “Our opponents were exceptional, and full credit is due to them. What I know is that our team competed through one of the most competitive international brackets in the history of this sport and stood on the world stage at the very end,” he stated. “I feel that requires a level of quality and belief that only a handful of organisations anywhere in the world possess. We will take what we have learned here, work even harder, and we will come back stronger. This result is a chapter, not a conclusion.”
With this result, Paper Rex secured four VCT Points and a $200,000 prize pool in Masters Santiago. Even though the teams are from the same region, this was the first time they have faced each other in the 2026 season.
Don’t give up on your dreams
In a team full of rookies, Goo “Rb” Sang-min was the only player in Nongshim RedForce with international experience. His time with Vision Strikers, later rebranded as DRX, didn’t bring the success he had hoped for, as he never managed to secure an international title. The closest he came was at the 2022 Champions tournament, where he placed third.
Rb stepped away from the Pacific region after a disappointing 2024 season with Titan Esports Club in VCT China. The team failed to achieve the success he had hoped for, and he eventually left in mid-2025.
He returned to the spotlight alongside what many described as “a bunch of kids” on NS RedForce. The squad finished second at Ascension and secured promotion to the main stage. From there, the rest is history. Rb finally had the chance to prove why he is regarded as a great in-game leader, guiding a team of rookies to their first international title.
Nongshim RedForce delivered a story of resilience, strength, and talent at VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026. The question now is whether they can maintain their impressive run heading into Stage 1.