Gen.G GC and Fennel qualify for Game Changers Championship

As in 2025, a South Korean team will represent the Pacific region at the Game Changers Championship, which will be held in São Paulo at the end of October. Gen.G GC confirmed its qualification on September 19 after defeating Falcons Vega, one day after Japanese organization Fennel had also secured its ticket with a win against the Saudi Arabian club during the regional playoffs. The two teams will therefore join eight other squads in Brazil, all looking to claim the world championship title of VALORANT’s competitive circuit for women and marginalized genders.

After a year of competition in their respective countries or regions, eight teams from across the Pacific region, from Southeast Asia to South Korea and Oceania, faced off between September 14 and 20 in Bali in a qualifying tournament for the Game Changers World Championship. The two finalists, whose final result is not yet known, therefore secured the two spots allocated to the region by Riot Games.

Already qualified for this competition in 2025 under the Ninetails name, three of Gen.G Esports’ South Korean players will also be present in 2026, this time under a new name and alongside two different teammates. Having won Stage 2 of Game Changers Korea, they secured the only spot allocated to their region for these finals. Upon arriving in Indonesia, Gen.G started with a win against Rising Esports GC, the only team from the South Asia region, before being stopped by Fennel in the Winner’s Bracket semifinals.

Dropped into the Lower Bracket, the South Korean players then defeated swaglord9000, representing Oceania, and Full Sense, one of the three teams from the SEA region, before eventually facing Falcons Vega in the Lower Bracket final. Against the Saudi Arabian club, which competes in Southeast Asia on the VALORANT Game Changers scene, Gen.G found itself with its back against the wall, trailing 2-1 in a best-of-five qualifier. The South Koreans eventually won the fourth map before closing out the series on the fifth to secure their spot in São Paulo.

Qualifying as Japan’s first seed out of the two available slots, Fennel is the country’s powerhouse, with two wins in the two splits played in 2026, following another two victories in two splits in 2025, although it missed out on qualification for the GCC that year. Far from simply claiming both domestic titles this season, Fennel also managed to remain undefeated on maps across the two splits, arriving in Bali with a strong status and a clear idea of how they needed to play to win.

In the Pacific regional playoffs, the Japanese club started with a 2-0 victory, although both maps were closely contested and ended 13-11 against wiwiwi, the third seed from the SEA region. In the following round, they defeated Gen.G 2-1 before facing Falcons in the Winner’s Bracket final for a spot in São Paulo. Against the Saudi Arabian team, the Japanese players secured a 2-0 victory to qualify for the GCC. Fennel had already competed in the tournament in 2022, during its inaugural edition, with Suzu "suzu" Sasaki still part of the roster today.

The two teams will therefore join a group of already qualified squads, including Gentle Mates, G2 Gozen, and SK Nebula representing EMEA; Shopify Rebellion Gold for North America; Team Liquid for Brazil; and KRÜ Blaze for South America. The final two spots will be decided in China and through a Last Chance Qualifier featuring teams from across the Americas.