KRÜ Blaze won the 2026 VALORANT Game Changers Championship, beating Gentle Mates GC 3-2 in the grand final at Riot Games Arena in São Paulo on 1 November. The result gives Latin America its first title and marks the first time a team has won the championship after coming through the lower bracket.
KRÜ’s route to the final included a 2-1 win over Gen.G GC in the upper-bracket quarter-finals, followed by a 2-0 loss to Shopify Rebellion Gold that sent them to the lower bracket. They then swept Team Liquid Brazil and MIBR GC before defeating Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 in the lower-bracket final.
The five-map final swung between the teams. Gentle Mates took Haven 13-5, but KRÜ levelled the series with the same score on Abyss. KRÜ then edged out a comeback attempt to win the third map 14-12 in overtime. Gentle Mates took Split 13-8 to force a decider, but KRÜ won Ascent 13-8 to secure the championship.
KRÜ’s Argentine player tok1o was named the event’s MVP by Liquipedia. Brazilian teammates antG and none became the first Brazilians to win an international tournament held in São Paulo.
Gentle Mates entered the final unbeaten in series at the event. Their runner-up finish followed a season that included an EMEA Stage 1 title and finals appearances in Stage 2 and Stage 3. The team received US$100,000 for second place. Shopify Rebellion Gold finished third with US$70,000, while MIBR GC placed fourth and earned US$50,000.
The championship, held from 22 October with 10 teams competing, was the last standalone edition. From 2027, the Game Changers Championship will conclude at Champions. All teams competing in the 2027 event will receive a payment equal to this year’s runners-up prize. VALORANT Champions 2027 is scheduled to take place in Austin from 16 September to 10 October.
Sources: Esports Insider.