Sources: LOUD have been selected as a VCT Americas partner team for the 2027-2028 cycle

Four years after their first world title, LOUD are champions again, and now are also set to stay in the Americas league. The Brazilian organization will be a VCT Americas Partner Team for the 2027-2028 cycle, sources tell Sheep Esports, securing its place for the next two years just moments after beating Team Vitality 3-1 in the Champions Shanghai grand final.

For LOUD, two VALORANT world titles, the youngest roster ever to reach a Champions final, and one of the region’s most loyal fanbases make for an easy case. According to sources, Riot weighed fan engagement, recent performance, regional results, and long-term commitment when choosing its partners.

LOUD arrived in Shanghai as the last Americas team to qualify, and its run was far from linear. After a 2-0 sweep of EDward Gaming, it lost the Group B winners’ match to Vitality, also 2-0, and had to beat Global Esports in the decider to reach the playoffs. From there, the team went on a historic run. Roberto “erde” Lobos, Lucca “lukxo” Travaioli and company swept Paper Rex, a team LOUD had never beaten, beat defending champions NRG 2-1, and defeated Vitality 2-1 in the upper bracket final. In the grand final, they beat the same team 3-1.

The result makes LOUD the first organization to win Champions twice, after its 2022 title in Istanbul, and it did so with an average age of 19.8, the youngest roster ever to play a Champions final. With NRG and 100 Thieves also reaching the playoffs, 2026 was the first time that all four Americas teams advanced to the Champions playoffs.

The title is the end of a roller coaster. LOUD opened the partnership era as the dominant team in the region, finishing as runner-up at LOCK//IN São Paulo and winning the 2023 Americas League before finishing third at Champions 2023. In 2024, it finished second at Kickoff and in the top four at Masters Madrid but missed Champions, and in 2025 it hit rock bottom, finishing last in both stages and failing to reach a single international event for the first time since entering the VCT.

The rebuild started in 2026 with a South American core, built around erde, who arrived from LEVIATÁN Academy, and lukxo. The first months were hard, with an 11th-12th place finish at Kickoff and a first-round loss to 100 Thieves in Stage 1. Everything changed in Stage 2, when LOUD added Enzo “tkzin” Zimiani on loan from KRÜ Esports and David “DaviH” Cruz from CGN Esports. The team beat MIBR, G2 Esports and NRG in the lower bracket to qualify for Champions and lost the grand final to 100 Thieves 3-2.

From 2027, there will be eight partner teams per region instead of ten. LOUD will have a direct berth at Kickoff, which will be played in São Paulo from January 14 to February 7, a base payment and revenue from its in-game capsules, and the chance to skip the early Open Qualifier rounds on its way 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, the world champions will play at home twice. Follow all the VCT Americas news on our site.

The main question is whether the roster can stay together. The core is young, as erde and tkzin are 18 and lukxo is 19, but tkzin is only on loan from KRÜ, and his status will be a priority for the offseason. For more VCT roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub.