VALORANT Masters Santiago: Everything you need to know

Gentle Mates Valorant
esports
By David ViaEsports Editor

Gentle Mates Valorant

The VALORANT Masters Santiago is the first event of its kind of the season. Here, 12 of the best teams in the VCT circuit will have the chance to become international champions and to add VCT Points as well as secuirng themselves a part of the USD$1M prize pool.

Here's everything you need to know about the competition:

Dates and location

The VALORANT Masters Santiago will be played between February 28 and March 15. All of the action takes place in the Espacio Riesco, which has a crowd capacity of over 10,000 sits.

Format

The VALORANT Masters Santiago is divided into two stages: the Swiss Stage and the Playoffs. Here's a look at how does each one work:

Swiss Stage

The Swiss Stage of the VALORANT Masters Santiago includes the second and third seeds from each region, including:

  • Gentle Mates
  • Team Liquid
  • G2 Esports
  • NRG
  • T1
  • Paper Rex
  • XLG Esports
  • EDward Gaming

In the Swiss Stage, teams must win two games to reach the Playoffs. The four-best teams reach the second phase of the competition, while the bottom four are automatically eliminated.

Playoffs

The VALORANT Masters Santiago Playoffs are a double-elimination bracket with BO3 matches except for the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final, which are BO5 matches.

Prize pool and VCT Points distribution

Here's a look at how the prize pool and VCT Points will be distributed among the participants at the VALORANT Masters Santiago:

  • 1st: USD$350,000 and 6 VCT Points
  • 2nd: USD$200,000 and 4 VCT Points
  • 3rd: USD$125,000 and 3 VCT Points
  • 4th: USD$75,000 and 2 VCT Points
  • 5th - 6th: USD$50,000 and 1 VCT Point
  • 7th - 8th: USD$35,000
  • 9th - 10th: USD$25,000
  • 11th to 12th: USD$15,000

In total, the VALORANT Masters Santiago includes a prize pool of USD$1M.

Teams

The VALORANT Masters Santiago will include 12 teams, three from each top flight region including Americas, EMEA, China, and Pacific. The competition will include the following organizations:

Americas

  • FURIA: FURIA's decision to go North American has paid off this season. With a lineup that now includes two Canadians, one Brazilian, one American, and one Kyrgyz player, the Black Panthers managed to make a return to international heights after a three year absence.
  • G2 Esports: For the first time in one year and after three consecutive regional championships, the samurai finished in second place in their home region. Despite heading to Chile after claiming Americas' second seed, G2 Esports are one of the favorites to lift the trophy.
  • NRG: The VALORANT Champions 2025 winners qualified for the competition after a thrilling comeback against MIBR, winning three consecutive maps against the Brazilian powerhouse after having lost the initial two.

EMEA

  • BBL Esports: From Ascension to competing in a Masters edition, BBL Esports' progression has been outstanding. The former PCIFIC Esports lineup were unstoppable in their home region and beat highly experienced rosters such as Fnatic and Team Vitality before qualifying for the VALORANT Masters Santiago following their victory against Gentle Mates.
  • Gentle Mates: Speak of the devil, Gentle Mates also qualified for Chile as they beat Fnatic one day after their loss against the Turkish side. Despite not having much experience, the European-majority mix is expected to cause some trouble in Santiago.
  • Team Liquid: The Blue Cavalry's start to the season included two defeats in their first three matches, as they lost against Team Vitality and Fnatic. After that, an impressive Lower Bracket run saw them getting back on track, beating ULF Esports, GIANTX, Team Heretics, Team Vitality, and Fnatic.

China

  • All Gamers: In Santiago, All Gamers will make their international debut in VALORANT as they surprisingly qualified for Chile after taking down some of the most experienced sides in the league, including Bilibili Gaming, Dragon Ranger Gaming, and XLG Esports.
  • XLG Esports: Following their defeat against All Gamers, XLG Esports followed on their steps as they clinched the region's second seed after a narrow 3-2 victory against Bilibili Gaming. Before that, they had also beaten Wolves Esports and EDward Gaming.
  • EDward Gaming: Last but not least, the VALORANT Champions 2024 winners secured China's third and final seed in the competition. The team had an underwhelming start to the Kickoff stage with back-to-back 1-2 losses against XLG Esports and Bilibili Gaming. However, the roster bounced back as they qualified for Chile after wins against JD Gaming, TYLOO, Dragon Ranger Gaming, and Bilibili Gaming.

Pacific

  • NS RedForce: The South Korean team will make its international debut in Santiago after taking Pacific's first seed following a surprising Upper Bracket run. The Ascension roster kept the upset trend, producing their very own Cinderella run.
  • T1: The South Korean powerhouse bounced back after an initial defeat against NS RedForce. After consecutive wins against Gen.G Esports, DRX, Paper Rex, DetonatioN FM, and Rex Regum Qeon, the South Koreans qualified for Chile.
  • Paper Rex: The VALORANT Masters Toronto champions complete the list after taking Pacific's third seed. Their Lower Bracket run ended with a victory against Rex Regum Qeon, who lost their third consecutive bracket final.

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