The first international VALORANT esports tournament of 2026, the Masters Santiago, is underway. It has all come down to the final day of the Swiss Stage as teams fight for a playoff berth. One of the most anticipated matches is between the reigning world champions, NRG and Team Liquid. Here are our betting predictions for this much-anticipated VALORANT Masters Swiss Stage match.
| Match | NRG vs Team Liquid – VALORANT Masters Santiago |
|---|---|
| Kick-off | March 4, 2026, at 6 pm CET, 9 am PST, 12 pm EST |
| Top pick | NRG |
| Best price | GG.BET |
| Betting favorite | NRG |
Credit: Riot Games
NRG are the reigning world champions in VALORANT esports. Last year, in an incredible final against Fnatic, they won 3-2. Following that tournament, they retained most of their team for the 2026 season.
This year, though, the team started off on the wrong foot in the Kickoff, losing to MIBR and falling to the lower bracket. They secured the final VCT Americas spot for VALORANT Masters Santiago after defeating MIBR in a close 3-2 victory.
In the VALORANT Masters Santiago, NRG has had a strong start defeating Xi Lai Gaming with a comfortable scoreline of 2-0. In the next game against Paper Rex, they played some of their best VALORANT this season but lost in the end with a scoreline of 2-1.
Credit: Riot Games
In our preview for the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026, we had put Team Liquid as underdogs to watch out for. While their start in VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 wasn’t ideal, it was the lower bracket run that shocked everyone, defeating the likes of Team Heretics and Vitality to reach the lower bracket finals. Here, they lost to Fnatic.
The IGL of Team Liquid, Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin, played his best match in the tournament, finishing as the top fragger of the series. This victory helped Team Liquid secure qualification for the VALORANT Masters Santiago as the third seed.
In Santiago, Team Liquid defeated T1 2-0 in their starting match. In the second round of the Swiss Stage, they had to face Gentle Mates. While the first map was a close affair, Gentle Mates dominated Team Liquid with a scoreline of 13-3, securing a 2-0 clean sweep against Liquid.
| Metric | NRG | Team Liquid | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match win rate | 70% | 70% | Tie |
| Average kills | 74.8 | 77.4 | Team Liquid |
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| NRG to win | 1.53 |
| Team Liquid to win | 2.39 |
| Over 2.5 maps | 1.95 |
VALORANT betting odds via GG.BET, March 4, 2026.
In our opinion, if Team Liquid can win the first map against NRG, then Team Liquid will secure the victory in this series. If NRG wins the skirmish duel and gets the map veto in their favor, then NRG will dominate Team Liquid with ease.
It’s very likely that NRG will select Abyss as the first map of the series if it has not been removed by Team Liquid. In their previous match against Paper Rex, the team showed an incredible comeback mentality, but sadly, couldn’t secure the win over Paper Rex.
We have previously seen NRG prove their mental resilience and even complete a reverse sweep in international VALORANT tournaments. Our opinion is that NRG will secure the win with a scoreline of 2-1.
NRG as the match winner 2-1 @ 3.19 odds at GG.BET.
Featured image credit: Riot Games
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
