FURIA Ayu: "We wouldn't believe it if qualifying were impossible"

heads into Worlds 2026 with the mission of turning the disappointment of finishing as CBLOL runners-up into motivation for its international campaign. After losing last Saturday’s October 10 Grand Final, the Brazilian team is now preparing for the World Championship Play-In, where it will face in its opening series. A win would put FURIA up against either or , with a place in the Swiss Stage on the line.

In an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports, Andrey “” Saraiva discussed the weight of the defeat, the evolution of his communication and the greater leadership role he has taken on throughout the season. The player also assessed FURIA’s results at MSI 2026 and the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC), acknowledged that the team’s international performances fell short of expectations and asked Brazilian fans to give the squad their vote of confidence. In a historic year, with Brazil sending two representatives to Worlds for the first time, FURIA aims to secure the country’s second spot in the main event and change perceptions of the region’s competitive level.

Andrey “Ayu” Saraiva: “I think I did feel that way. In my view, it’s fair to feel that, because the hardest thing in League of Legends is getting an advantage, having everything in your hands and simply closing out the game. That’s the hardest part of LoL: you’re in a winning position, you make your decision and win the game. I had everything in my hands, I had that advantage, and I could have done things a little differently. In that regard, I think I failed.

Knowing that I could have changed the result, I really felt it, but I’m already used to it. Throughout my career, I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs, many downs as well, including before this lineup. I’m quite used to pressure, losing and things like that, but this one will really hurt more. It was a final, it was a title. Everyone obviously wanted it badly, so it left a bitter taste.

Ayu: It was definitely a very different experience. The final itself was different, not much like the other finals I’ve played. There were a lot of fans, it was in a stadium, and the whole experience was completely different. So I definitely felt it more, but I also learned a lot from that final. I’ve already rewatched the games. It will definitely be useful, including for the experience we’re about to have now. It will help us do things a little differently.

I’m focusing more on studying what we got wrong, trying to understand what happened and what we can do differently this time, while also recognizing the privilege we have. No other Brazilian team has lost a final, finished as runners-up and still had the chance to go to Worlds. We have this opportunity, so it’s definitely a privilege we need to make the most of.

Ayu: First, I think back to the Ayu who was just starting to play. That Ayu definitely wanted to be here right now, at this exact moment, playing at Worlds. Not just playing at Worlds, but experiencing everything we’re experiencing here, with not only FURIA fans supporting us, but the entire country cheering for us. Everyone wants us to secure this spot. After what happened in the final, everyone wants that second spot we can earn here in the Play-In. The feeling is that we belong here and that we can do something special. We know we messed up at the international tournament we played in. Everyone, myself included, feels that we can do something very different this time and change the story a little.

Ayu: There isn’t anyone specific I can name, especially because we’ve already faced T1, a team many people would like to play against. Facing (Lee Sang-hyeok), (Ryu Min-seok) and all those incredible players. We’ve already played against them once. At this point, there isn’t any specific player or team I’d like to face.

Ayu: It’s more of a source of motivation than something sad. We’ve been through a lot with this lineup. It’s definitely a lineup that has made its mark on this story. We have this ‘Last Dance’ narrative, which may or may not come true. We still don’t know what the future holds. But I’d say we’ve had a really great journey. We have the opportunity to go out on a high note at Worlds, secure another spot. If we get through the Play-In, we’ll earn another spot for Brazil, which would be historic, while also showing a strong performance internationally.

Ayu: I do recognize that change. I think it came from experience, from things that went wrong and others that went right. Through that, you end up gaining more confidence when playing on stage. Nowadays, I’m someone who can go to furyz (Erick Susin) and tell him I want to pick a specific champion. He’ll give me that vote of confidence, and I’ll give him the same in return. I know he’ll either go along with the suggestion or discuss it with me. It really comes down to being confident.

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve taken on more responsibilities in communication, especially with bot lane plays, which involve a lot of lane swaps and pressure across the map. You can see that quite a bit in our games. Those plays usually come from me and conversations between Guigo (Guilherme Araújo) and me. I’ve become a smarter player, alongside my mechanics and aggression. Looking at it now, it makes a huge difference in the process and in the way I play.

Ayu: In my view, it was a disgrace. Not winning a single game can certainly be described as a disgrace, and it was something nobody expected. Nobody in the world expected that. We had a lot of confidence that we could do things differently, and we were a strong lineup. We ended up failing to meet our own expectations. As for Worlds, what I hope for, and what I believe our team hopes for as well, is to advance. We want to be the best team in the Play-In and secure that second spot, not just for ourselves, but for Brazil too.

Our region has been lacking strong international performances. We need to perform well internationally. And it’s not just us, but LOS as well. They’re a very good team, and a lot of people have high expectations for them. Brazil has needed a strong international performance for a long time. We know we have a lot of responsibility in that regard, and we’ll give it our best to achieve this feat.

Ayu: As a Brazilian, I know that life can be a little tough sometimes. Those of us who support teams know that. I also follow other sports and esports. Even though I’m a professional player, I’m also a big fan of VALORANT. As a Brazilian, I want to see Brazilians performing well internationally, and I don’t think LoL should be any different. We know it’s difficult domestically. We know the players here are at a much higher level, but we also know we can perform well.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here, to be honest. We wouldn’t believe in qualifying if it were impossible. Everything we say on social media, in interviews or in situations like that comes from genuinely believing that we’re a team capable of doing this. Not just a team, but a region that can advance and make history. We know we haven’t managed to do that historically. But I want to ask the fans to give us their vote of confidence. I wanted them to believe in us, to believe that we really can do things differently. And we’ll show them that. I’m sure everyone is well prepared. At the very least, watch tomorrow’s series and draw your own conclusions.”