Nongshim RedForce Qualify for VALORANT Champions 2026

Nongshim RedForce secured their first VALORANT Champions qualification on 27 August after beating Gen.G 2-1 in the upper bracket semifinals of VCT Pacific Stage 2. The result guaranteed the Korean side enough Championship Points to reach Champions Shanghai, adding another international event to a debut VCT season that has already included two tournament wins.

One trophy wasn't enough for them.@nsr_valorant are headed back to the global stage for #VALORANTChampions Shanghai! pic.twitter.com/mGeJpTuQpP

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) August 27, 2026

Nongshim RedForce join Paper Rex as Pacific’s two confirmed Championship Points qualifiers. Two more regional places remain available through the ongoing Stage 2 competition before VALORANT Champions begins in Shanghai on 24 September.

Nongshim RedForce Beat Gen.G 2-1 To Secure Qualification

Nongshim RedForce opened the series against Gen.G with a 13-8 victory on Ascent before Gen.G responded by taking Summit 13-9. The deciding Sunset remained close, but Nongshim closed out the map 13-11 to complete the 2-1 series win.

Advancing from the upper bracket semifinal guaranteed Nongshim at least a third-place finish in VCT Pacific Stage 2. Before receiving any placement points from that finish, the team sat second in the Pacific Championship Points standings on 14 points.

A top-three placement adds at least five more points, taking Nongshim to a minimum of 19. That total is enough to lock one of Pacific’s two Champions places awarded through the season-long standings, so their Shanghai berth no longer depends on reaching the Stage 2 grand final.

Nongshim’s Debut VCT Season Already Includes Two Trophies

The Champions qualification continues a first VCT season in which Nongshim RedForce have already won VCT Pacific Kickoff and Masters Santiago. Their Kickoff title delivered the organisation’s first international qualification, which they followed by winning the Masters trophy in Chile.

Nongshim did not qualify for Masters London later in the season, but their domestic results and earlier international success kept them near the top of the Pacific Championship Points standings. The Stage 2 win over Gen.G supplied the remaining points needed to remove any uncertainty over Champions.

The official VALORANT Esports account marked the qualification by telling Nongshim that “one trophy wasn’t enough for them” as it confirmed their return to the global stage. VCT Pacific also highlighted an emotional post-match reaction from Xross after the Gen.G series, with qualification securing the team’s place at the biggest event of the season.

Read More: VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Qualified Teams

Rb Returns To Champions After Three Years

Shanghai will also mark Goo “Rb” Sang-min’s return to VALORANT Champions for the first time since 2023, when he competed at the event with DRX.

The other four members of Nongshim RedForce’s starting lineup will make their Champions debuts. That makes Rb the only player in the current five with previous experience at VALORANT’s season-ending world championship.

Two VCT Pacific Champions Spots Are Still Open

Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce are now locked into Champions through Championship Points, leaving two Pacific places to be decided by VCT Pacific Stage 2. Nongshim can still continue through the bracket and challenge for the regional title despite already securing their world championship berth.

The wider qualification race is also continuing outside China, the first region to complete its Champions lineup. VCT EMEA Stage 2 is scheduled to conclude on 30 August, while both Pacific and Americas are due to hold their grand finals on 6 September.

VALORANT Champions Shanghai Starts On 24 September

VALORANT Champions 2026 runs from 24 September to 18 October in Shanghai, with 16 teams competing for a $2.25 million USD prize pool and the world championship title.

The field will be split into four GSL-style groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing. Those eight survivors then move into a double-elimination playoff bracket.

Nongshim’s immediate campaign is not finished, however. Their Champions place is secure, but VCT Pacific Stage 2 continues towards its 6 September grand final, giving the team a chance to add the regional Stage 2 title before travelling to Shanghai later that month.