Nongshim RedForce are unbeaten in 2026, and they’re one win from a global final

Nongshim RedForce have not lost a series in 2026. Not one. From their Kickoff title run in January to the bright lights of VCT Masters Santiago’s playoff stage, Korea’s most consistent team has been a machine, and right now, they are one series win away from a Grand Final appearance. The roster’s core began competing in Premier, and when they were acquired by Sin Prisa, went on to win Ascension in 2024 although they dropped back to play in 2025’s Pacific Ascension tournament due to their performance that year.

Their win streak started in Ascension 2025, where Nongshim powered through the competition to earn their spot in the VCT partnership league. That momentum never stopped. In Kickoff 2026, they closed out the tournament as champions, and now at Masters Santiago, they’ve navigated the playoffs bracket unscathed against the likes of Gentle Mates and G2. While they found a stomp of a 2-0 against the European squad, their game against G2 headed into OT on the decider map before they closed it out to make history for the team.

The roster had already broken the “first seeds” curse, winning an opening game with a playoffs bye after 645 days with no team able to take advantage.

A Perfectly Balanced Roster

A significant piece of that puzzle arrived with IGL Rb, whose fingerprints are all over Nongshim’s disciplined yet chaotic style, almost reminiscent of his early Vision Striker days. Since joining, the team has developed a cohesion that few sides at this event can match: clear executes, adaptive mid-rounding, and the team’s willingness to use the meta to their benefit.

As Rb said ahead of his Santiago run, “I am looking forward to showing my new style, new team play and performances, 100%.”

If Rb is the mind, Dambi is the heartbeat. On Neon, he has been one of the most disruptive forces at Masters Santiago: a player who uses the agent’s raw speed for entries, space, and also as a psychological weapon. Neon’s ability to break crossfires, create pressure, and make space for teammates to clean up has been pivotal in keeping Nongshim dominant. In a tournament full of elite duelists, Dambi’s Neon gameplay has stood out as some of the most impactful individual play on display.

Versus G2, a series in which Nongshim secured their upper bracket final place, he had an ACS of 295, 14 first kills, 66 frags across three maps, and a +18 kill differential. He dominated the server.

“Dambi steals the show,” admitted upcoming NRG opponent mada, “He might be the biggest challenge for us when we play Nongshim.”

Duelist play means nothing without a stable backbone, and Nongshim have exactly that in Ivy and Francis. Game after game, the two have delivered the kind of quiet, reliable fragging. Their consistency on the scoreboard: rarely caught in bad spots, rarely off the pace, and always there for a trade, has given Nongshim’s structure an important baseline. When the team needs a round won through pure gunfights or an impactful, either Francis or ivy can deliver it, as we’ve seen multiple teams. The utility and followups from Xross as well as the capability of any member of this roster to go nuclear at any time has made them a serious threat.

One More Win to the VCT Masters Santiago Final

Nongshim RedForce now sit one series win from the grand final. They have earned every step of it but one final challenger stands between them and a spot in the grand finals: the current world champions, NRG. The 3rd seed from Americas has looked resilient and ever more dangerous, taking down PRX today and looking to earn back to back trophies. The bracket doesn’t get any easier, but then again, this team hasn’t needed it to be.

Before Nonghshim’s return to the server however, two more teams were sent home. G2 found a dominant 2-0 victory to eliminate EMEA’s first seed BBL Esports, while Paper Rex found a reverse sweep against China’s last remaining team All Gamers. Once again, we’ll be seeing an Americas team face off against Paper Rex, and while NRG were able to win their rematch in the upper bracket, whether G2 can repeat the feat or not against a Paper Rex that is playing all out remains to be seen. The winner of PRX versus G2 will face the between NRG and Nongshim in the lower bracket final on Saturday.

This weekend, we will have our winner of Masters Santiago. And it looks increasingly likely Nongshim could be the ones to do it. In Francis’ words, “We’re not here for tourism; we’re here to win the whole thing.”