The Noodle Boys aren’t just the kings of the Pacific, they’re the kings of the world.
It was an all Pacific showdown in Santiago, Chile, but South Korea stands tall once again as Noonghim RedForce crown themselves Masters Santiago Champions. They dominated favorites Paper Rex 3-0 to bring home the organization’s first ever international trophy.
As the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff champions, Noongshim were already sitting pretty in Masters Santiago. The format gave them bye into playoffs while Paper Rex had to sweat it out in the Swiss Stage as the Pacific’s third seed. But Swiss Stage was barely an inconvenience for Paper Rex as they blitzed through the Americas’ G2 Esports and NRG.
On the whole, the Pacific was looking very strong heading into the playoffs. Noongshim looked incredibly deadly in their VCT Pacific run and while Paper Rex had a bit of a stumble in theirs, they still proved themselves to be favorites to become Masters Santiago champions after the Swiss stage.
For Noongshim, their dominance only continued as they bulldozed their way to grand finals. Some theorized that they might be coming in cold after skipping the Swiss Stage. That turned out to be completely false as neither EMEA’s Gentle Mates, G2, or NRG could stop the RedForce.
Paper Rex hit a snag against NRG in the upper bracket quarter finals but quickly recovered in the lower bracket. They fought China’s All Gamers, G2, and faced NRG again in the lower bracket finals. All of them were unable to slow down the W Gaming train’s charge towards the grand finals.
However, Noongshim were playing on a completely different level this tournament. Paper Rex had moments of brilliance early in the grand finals, but it quickly became apparent that the Noodle Boys were just the better team. With a 3-0 sweep, dropping only a single map in their entire tournament run, Noongshim Redforce reinforced South Korea’s esports might by becoming the Masters Santiago Champions.
Banner image credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games.
Frequently Asked Questions
Noongshim RedForce (often referred to as the “Noodle Boys”) emerged as the Masters Santiago Champions, marking the organization’s first-ever international VALORANT trophy.
Noongshim RedForce dominated their Pacific region rivals, Paper Rex, with a clean 3–0 sweep in the Grand Finals, solidifying their status as the tournament’s top team.
As the champions of the VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff, Noongshim RedForce earned an automatic bye directly into the playoffs, allowing them to bypass the initial Swiss Stage.
The team displayed immense dominance, bulldozing their way through the playoff bracket against top teams like Gentle Mates, G2, and NRG. Remarkably, they only dropped a single map during their entire tournament run.
After a stumble against NRG in the upper bracket quarterfinals, Paper Rex mounted an impressive recovery in the lower bracket, defeating All Gamers, G2, and NRG in a rematch to secure their spot in the finals against Noongshim RedForce.
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