KRÜ Blaze fought through the lower bracket to defeat Europe’s Gentle Mates GC across five maps in São Paulo, securing LATAM the region’s first Game Changers Championship title. This also marks the last standalone tournament of its kind, with next year’s finals transitioning to the Champions format.
KRÜ Blaze has emerged as the champions of the 2026 VALORANT Game Changers Championship. They narrowly defeated Gentle Mates GC 3-2 at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo on November 1st. This marks the first time a Latin American team has claimed this title, and it is noteworthy that no team had ever clinched it from the lower bracket before.
The competition commenced on October 22, featuring 10 teams. As the runners-up, Gentle Mates took home US$100,000. Shopify Rebellion Gold earned US$70,000 in third place, while MIBR GC walked away with US$50,000 for their fourth position.
KRÜ Blaze fought back from a semi-final defeat in the upper bracket
KRÜ Blaze chose a challenging route. They secured a 2-1 victory against Gen.G GC in the upper-bracket quarter-finals on October 23. However, a 2-0 defeat against Shopify Rebellion Gold on October 27 dropped them into the lower bracket. In response, they executed clean sweeps over Team Liquid Brazil and MIBR GC. On October 31, they faced Shopify Rebellion Gold again, winning 3-1 in the lower-bracket finals.
The grand final was a back-and-forth affair. Gentle Mates won Haven 13-5, but KRÜ responded on Abyss with the same score. Leading 10-2 at half-time in the third map, KRÜ managed to secure the match 14-12 in overtime despite a Gentle Mates comeback. The adversaries then claimed Split 13-8, prompting a decisive match. On Ascent, KRÜ led 11-5 and won by the same score as in Split.
Liquipedia recognized KRÜ’s Argentine player tok1o as the MVP of the event. Brazilian teammates antG and none became the first players from Brazil to achieve victory in an international tournament hosted in São Paulo.
This victory disrupts a trend; prior to 2026, the championship title had been claimed by G2 Gozen for Europe in 2022, Shopify Rebellion for North America in both 2023 and 2024, and Team Liquid Brazil in 2025. KRÜ’s performance in the event has consistently improved. They finished 7th-8th in 2022, achieved 5th-6th place in the subsequent two years, and placed fourth last year.
Gentle Mates’ undefeated streak was halted in the grand final
For fans from Europe, it was a disappointing near miss. Gentle Mates GC arrived as EMEA’s top seed based on circuit points. They had not faced a single defeat during the tournament in São Paulo until the final, as reported by Esports News UK.
This season marked a formidable debut in the circuit for the team. They won EMEA Stage 1 by decisively defeating G2 Gozen 3-0 on February 22. However, they suffered a setback in the Stage 2 finals on May 24, losing to SK Nebula without claiming a map. On August 30, they fell in the Stage 3 final to G2 Gozen after five maps. Their silver medal in São Paulo now adds up to one championship from four finals this year.
The standalone Game Changers Championship concludes with KRÜ
The final match in São Paulo also signifies the end of an era. KRÜ holds the distinction of being the final team to lift the trophy at a unique event of its kind. In a new change for next year, the Game Changers Championship will culminate at the Champions event. According to Riot’s 2027 plans, non-partner teams qualifying for the Game Changers Championship will receive a US$100,000 bonus. The VALORANT Champions 2027 event is set to be held from September 16 to October 10 in Austin.
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