Valorant Masters Santiago 2026: Schedule, teams, and how to watch
The Valorant Champions Tour 2026 kicks off its circuit of international events with Valorant Masters Santiago 2026, hosted at the Espacio Riesco in Chile. As one of the few international tournaments on the Valorant esports calendar, Masters Santiago will bring together the world’s top teams to compete for international prestige, crucial VCT points, and a chance to fight for a chunk of the $1,000,000 prize pool.
Hosted in Santiago, Chile, the event marks Valorant’s return to South America for a major international LAN since 2023, reinforcing Riot’s long-term commitment to rotating global host regions. With new rosters, regional power shifts, and early-season narratives already forming, Masters Santiago will offer the first clear snapshot of which teams are positioned to contend for the 2026 world title.
Beyond competition, the tournament is expected to be a major livestreaming event. Valorant Masters events consistently rank among the most-watched esports tournaments globally, and favorable cross-regional matchups, combined with strong co-streamer participation, could push Santiago’s viewership toward the top of Valorant viewership.
Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 dates, location, and overview
Masters Santiago will take place from February 28 to March 15, at the Espacio Riesco event hall in Chile’s capital. The tournament will be played in front of a live audience, continuing the Masters tradition of large-scale offline production.
As the first Masters of the 2026 VCT season, the event serves as a key inflection point in the competitive year. Teams qualified through their respective VCT International Leagues (IL) will face off in their first inter-regional test since roster changes and offseason adjustments. In addition to prize money, teams will earn VCT circuit points, which play a critical role in qualification for Valorant Champions 2026.
Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 format
Masters Santiago will follow Riot Games’ established Masters tournament structure, combining a Swiss Group phase with a double-elimination playoff bracket. Each IL will send three teams to Santiago, with the top-seeded team of each region advancing directly to the playoffs; while seemingly a competitive advantage, teams have complained in the past of entering the playoffs phase ‘cold’, and these opening playoffs games often contain surprise underdog victories.
The tournament begins with a group stage featuring two qualified teams from each international league. Matches in this phase are played in a best-of-three format, rewarding consistency while allowing teams to adapt across series. According to the Swiss system, teams are sorted to play other squads with a similar win-loss history at the event, ensuring all matches are close and exciting.
From the group stage, the top four teams advance to the playoffs, where they meet the four top-seeded teams to begin an eight-team, double-elimination bracket. Matches in the playoffs are also played best-of-three, except for the grand finals, which will be an epic best-of-five showdown.
Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 schedule
The tournament will run across approximately two weeks, beginning with the group stage before advancing to the playoffs and ultimate championship weekend.
Schedule overview:
- Feb 28–Mar 4: Swiss Stage
- Mar 6–12: Playoffs
- Mar 13–15: Playoffs championship weekend
As with previous Masters events, the playoffs will begin the weekend before the championship games and bleed into the early weekdays. The championship weekend is expected to attract the largest global audience, particularly if marquee organizations from multiple regions remain in contention. The final weekend features the upper bracket, lower bracket, and grand finals.
How to watch Valorant Masters Santiago 2026
Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 will be broadcast live across multiple official platforms, ensuring global accessibility for viewers in all major regions. Riot Games continues to prioritize free-to-watch livestreaming, with robust language support and creator involvement.
These are a list of official channels for some of Valorant’s top demographics, but official channels are also available for Korean, Indonesian, Thai, French, Turkish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Ukrainian-speaking viewers.
Official English broadcast:
Spanish broadcast:
Portuguese broadcast:
Japanese broadcast:
Vietnamese broadcast:
Masters Santiago is also expected to generate significant viewership through co-streams and watch parties. Riot Games’ co-streaming program allows creators and influencers to restream the official broadcast with their own commentaries, and historically, co-streaming has played a crucial role in Valorant esports. Viewers looking for alternative perspectives or community-driven coverage can explore the Valorant category on their preferred livestreaming platform during the event.
Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 teams
Masters Santiago will feature teams qualified from Valorant’s four international leagues: the Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China.
| Americas | EMEA | Pacific | China |
|---|---|---|---|
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Each region sends its top-performing teams based on Kickoff results. The top-seeded team for each region* will advance directly to the playoffs stage of the Masters tournament, whereas the other attendees will battle it out in the Group Stage.
Prize pool and VCT Points
Riot Games has confirmed the prize pool for Masters Santiago 2026 to be $1,000,000. In 2025, the first Masters event of the year featured a prize pool of $500,000, but Riot Games has now expanded their circuits to include million-dollar prizes for both Masters events in the calendar.
| Placement | $ Prize | VCT Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $350,000 | 6 |
| 2nd | $200,000 | 4 |
| 3rd | $150,000 | 3 |
| 4th | $75,000 | 2 |
| 5th-6th | $50,000 | 1 |
| 7th-8th | $35,000 | 0 |
| 9th-10th | $25,000 | 0 |
| 11th-12th | $15,000 | 0 |
In terms of VCT Points, which are essential for qualifying for Champions later in the year, Riot has also increased the importance of the first Masters event of the year. Previously, the first Masters event of 2025 only awarded points for the top four teams, and even then, they received 1 fewer point than they would for the same result at Masters Santiago.
Viewership expectations and historical context
The Valorant Masters events consistently rank among the most-watched esports tournaments worldwide. The events are some of the tactical shooters’ most-watched games of the year, and previously, the inaugural Masters of the year has received particular attention, as new rosters come together and prove exciting and unpredictable.
Masters Santiago arrives at a moment when Valorant esports continues to demonstrate strong global momentum. International matchups between Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China remain one of the most reliable drivers of audience growth, particularly when popular organizations or star players advance deep into the bracket.
The return of a Masters event to South America could also provide a regional uplift, especially if teams from the Americas league make a strong run in front of a local audience; the last time an international VCT event took place in the region was the 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo, hosted in Brazil.
From a viewership perspective, the event represents another test of Valorant’s ability to sustain global interest across regions, platforms, and creator ecosystems. With free broadcasts, extensive co-streaming, and a growing international fanbase, Masters Santiago is positioned to be one of the most significant esports events of early 2026.
Fans looking to follow the tournament should keep an eye on the Esports Charts tournament page as the event nears, featuring a schedule of games and live-updating viewership results for Valorant’s global event.
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