KRÜ Blaze turned a lower-bracket run into the 2026 VALORANT Game Changers Championship, beating undefeated Gentle Mates GC 3-2 on Nov. 1 in São Paulo. It was the first title for the LATAM region and the first time a team had won the event from the lower bracket.
the moment VISA @KRUesports Blaze became #VCTGameChangers Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/OsW5ZYnSWf
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) November 1, 2026
The final at Riot Games Arena ended a 10-team tournament that began on Oct. 22. Game Changers is the global finale of a circuit built to provide competition and representation for women and other marginalized genders in VALORANT esports.
KRÜ’s route through the lower bracket
KRÜ opened with a 2-1 win over Gen.G GC on Oct. 23, but Shopify Rebellion Gold sent the team into the lower bracket with a 2-0 victory four days later. KRÜ swept Team Liquid Brazil and MIBR GC, then beat Shopify 3-1 in the Oct. 31 lower-bracket final to earn its shot at the title.
Gentle Mates took Haven 13-5 in the grand final, and KRÜ answered with the same score on Abyss. The third map was much closer by the end, despite KRÜ holding a 10-2 halftime lead. Gentle Mates fought back, but KRÜ secured a 14-12 overtime win.
A 13-8 win for Gentle Mates on Split forced the decider. KRÜ built an 11-5 lead on Ascent and closed the map 13-8 to take the series.
Liquipedia named KRÜ’s Argentine player tok1o the event MVP. Brazilian teammates antG and none became the first Brazilians to win an international VALORANT tournament held in São Paulo.
Gentle Mates entered as EMEA’s second seed and had not lost a series at the tournament before the final. In its debut circuit season, the team won EMEA Stage 1 but lost the Stage 2 final to SK Nebula and the Stage 3 final to G2 Gozen. Its runner-up finish in São Paulo left it with one title from four finals in 2026.
Gentle Mates earned $100,000 as runner-up. Shopify Rebellion Gold received $70,000 for third place, and MIBR GC took $50,000 for fourth.
The last standalone championship
KRÜ’s title followed a steady climb at the event. The team finished seventh to eighth in 2022, fifth to sixth in both 2023 and 2024, and fourth in 2025. G2 Gozen won the inaugural title in 2022, Shopify Rebellion won in 2023 and 2024, and Team Liquid Brazil took the championship in 2025.
São Paulo also hosted the last standalone Game Changers Championship. The 2027 edition will finish at Champions, and every participating team will receive $100,000, matching Gentle Mates’ runner-up prize this year. Riot’s championship guide places the 2027 event in Austin alongside VALORANT Champions, which is scheduled for Sept. 16 through Oct. 10.
Which moment swung the final for you, KRÜ’s 14-12 overtime win or its finish on Ascent? For more on the Game Changers circuit, stay connected through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Valorant
Developed by Riot Games
Valorant is a character-based 5v5 tactical shooter set on the global stage. Outwit, outplay, and outshine your competition with tactical abilities, precise gunplay, and adaptive teamwork.
- Genre Shooter, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Perspective First person
- Modes Multiplayer
- Release June 2, 2020
- Publisher Riot Games
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Age Rating
