A real bombshell has hit CBLOL. Isurus Gaming and the Brazilian league announced on Thursday, December 4, that the organization is leaving the competition, freeing up its Guest Slot for CBLOL 2026. In its statement, Riot Games thanked Isurus for their year in 2025 and promised that a new invited team from the South American tier‑2 ecosystem will join in 2026.

After spending over a decade competing in the Latin American circuit, Isurus joined LTA South for their first and only season in 2025. Following the league’s rebranding as CBLOL, the team found itself as the only non-Brazilian participant — and, combined with the structural limitations of holding a guest slot, it faced very few real opportunities to contend for a title. In their statement, they expressed their desire to return to their home region, the LLA, to strengthen it, reconnect with their community, and help grow the scene beyond the Tier‑1 level.

A decision that makes sense

Indeed, founder and CEO Kala explained in a video that this was a difficult decision, but one closely tied to the end of the LTA rebranding and the unification of the American regions. With the return of the LCS and CBLOL in 2026, Isurus no longer see themselves in the model they originally joined. He added that opportunities to compete internationally have naturally become more limited.

He also mentioned their status as an invited team with the Guest Slot, which structurally placed them at a disadvantage compared to partnered teams: "The model simply does not offer the level of stability, nor the planning horizon that we prioritize, especially with regard to the long-term construction of the teams, the development of academies and the lack of alignement of key dates such as the promotion/relegation periods and early roster planning for the following years."

A league in transition

With Isurus stepping away, Riot now faces the challenge of selecting a new invited team for CBLOL 2026. The issue is that the ecosystem they must choose from has rarely been this unstable. What should have been a straightforward replacement process has turned into a scramble, as the pool of viable candidates has drastically shrunk.

In an ever-shifting ecosystem, a few organizations could still have the structure and resources needed to take over the slot. Alpha7, for instance, was in the final stages of selling its Circuito Desafiante slot — but following the news of Isurus’s departure, the organization approached Riot Games to try to secure its spot in CBLOL 2026.

Two other names circulating among fans are KaBuM! IDL and Los Grandes — both of which were part of CBLOL as recently as 2024 and have continued to invest in Brazil’s Tier‑2 scene. Furthermore, Los Grandes recently teamed up with MIBR (Made in Brazil), with both entities now operating under the same group.