Reigning
Game Changers Championship winners Team Liquid will be back at the event in 2026, after securing their qualification this Friday, September 11, with a win in the Brazilian league grand final against Evil Geniuses. The victory is all the more important as Brazil only has one direct slot, and this year, São Paulo will host the ten best teams from the GC circuit for the World Championship. For the international grand final of
VALORANT's competitive circuit reserved for women and marginalized genders, TL are the fourth team to secure their ticket, after G2 Gozen, Gentle Mates, and SK Nebula from EMEA.
In 2026, TL have been without a doubt the best Brazilian team in the GC circuit, but their dominance has not been limited to this circuit. Earlier in the year, the reigning world champions started by winning the Game Changers Kickoff, taking down MIBR in the final, while also qualifying for Challengers Brazil through a closed qualifier. Before entering Stage 2 of the VCB, Brazilian captain Natália "daiki" Vilela and her teammates went on to win Stage 1 of the Brazilian GC league, once again beating MIBR in the final.
A nearly flawless dominance
Once they reached Challengers, things became more complicated for the latter, with six losses in six matches during the group stage, without winning a single map and earning a direct trip to the relegation tournament. Back in their preferred circuit, Team Liquid would suffer their first setback of the season, losing the Stage 2 grand final to MIBR but securing the bare minimum: qualification for the national finals.
In this
qualifying tournament for the GC Championship, TL went through the Winner Bracket without much trouble, first beating Evils of Desilusion 2-0, then Evil Geniuses, the third major Brazilian team, 2-0, before defeating MIBR 2-1 to qualify for the grand final and play for the direct spot at the World Championship. To everyone's surprise, EG would get the better of MIBR in the Lower Bracket final, winning the best-of-five 3-2, but they would not manage to surprise Team Liquid in the grand final. Winning 3-1, TL therefore became, unsurprisingly, the first and potentially the only representative of their league, one of the most competitive in the world alongside North America and EMEA.
MIBR, meanwhile, are still in contention for a spot through the points system that ran throughout the season, with their second-place finish in the standings giving them access to an LCQ for the Americas as a whole. Just before the Championship, the Brazilian organization will therefore face the second-best team from North America and the second-best team from LATAM, namely the loser of the final between the best team from LATAM North and LATAM South.
