MIBR will be a VCT Americas Partner Team for the 2027-2028 cycle, sources tell Sheep Esports. The Brazilian organization, officially Made in Brazil, has been part of the league since the partnership model began in 2023 and will keep its place for two more years, with its biggest star already signed through the end of 2027.
MIBR’s case rests on their visible investment in a long-term project, a Champions appearance in 2025 and a Game Changers program that finished in the top three of the 2025
VALORANT Game Changers Championship. According to sources,
Riot weighed fan engagement, recent results, regional performance and long-term commitment.
Waiting for a breakthrough
MIBR’s first partnership years were quiet. The organization’s last international event before 2025 was LOCK//IN São Paulo in 2023, and its campaigns in the Americas league were underwhelming. Daniel "fRoD" Montaner took over as head coach at the end of 2023, and the roster waited for a leader to build around.
That leader arrived at the end of 2024. Erick “
aspas” Santos, the 2022 world champion with LOUD, signed from LEVIATÁN and
immediately changed the project. MIBR finished third at Kickoff and again in Stage 1, earning their first international appearance in two years at Masters Toronto, where they failed to win a map in an opening loss to Gen.G and then a loss against Team Liquid. Stage 2 was a step back, with no playoff berth, but Championship Points were enough to qualify for Champions Paris.
In Paris, MIBR made their first Champions appearance, beat Team Heretics in the opening playoff match, fell to eventual champions NRG in the upper bracket and were eliminated by DRX in 5th-6th place. aspas was the highest-rated player at the event and was named VCT Americas Player of the Year, though MIBR ended 2025 without a trophy.
Stars without trophies in 2026
Ahead of 2026, MIBR
built a star-studded lineup around aspas and Andrew “
Verno” Maust, adding Zachary “
zekken” Patrone from Sentinels, Roberto “
Mazino” Rivas from KRÜ Esports and Ian “
tex” Botsch from LEVIATÁN. The results did not match expectations.
At Kickoff, MIBR reached the upper bracket final, losing 2-3 to FURIA in a Brazilian derby, and then lost the middle and lower finals, missing Masters Santiago after losing all three. In Stage 1, they were eliminated by 100 Thieves, which left them out of Masters London. After a quarterfinal exit at the Esports World Cup, MIBR were swept 2-0 by LOUD in the Stage 2 playoffs on August 30, which meant that
aspas would miss Champions for the first time since 2022.
What the partnership means?
From 2027, each region will have eight partner teams instead of ten. MIBR will have a guaranteed spot at Kickoff in São Paulo (January 14 to February 7), a base payment and revenue from its in-game capsules, and can skip the early Open Qualifier rounds on the road to the Cups, in Mexico City (April 29 to May 23) and Rio de Janeiro (August 5 to 29). With two of the region’s events in Brazil, MIBR will play at home twice. Check the full
VCT Americas coverage.
