Game Changers Championship 2026: KRÜ BLAZE beat Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 to face Gentle Mates in final

KRÜ BLAZE have reached the grand final of the Valorant Game Changers Championship 2026. On Saturday, 31 October in São Paulo, the Latin American team beat Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 in a best-of-five lower final. It made up for the 2-0 loss Shopify had given them in the upper semi-finals earlier in the week. KRÜ now play Gentle Mates GC for the title. The grand final is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Brazil, which is about 2am on Monday, 2 November in Malaysia. It has not been played yet.

How the lower final went

Shopify Rebellion Gold looked like taking a second win over KRÜ when they won Sunset 13-6. KRÜ then won the next three maps:

• Sunset: Shopify Rebellion Gold 13-6
• Summit: KRÜ BLAZE 13-6
• Split: KRÜ BLAZE 13-9
• Ascent: KRÜ BLAZE 17-15 (overtime)

Ascent was the closest map of the series. It went to overtime before KRÜ won it 17-15, so a fifth map on Haven was never needed. Shopify's dodonut had the highest average combat score in the series at 310. KRÜ's scoring was more evenly spread, with none, tok1o, ponix and antG all contributing.

KRÜ's lower bracket run

KRÜ BLAZE have taken the long route. They beat Gen.G GC 2-1 in the upper quarter-finals and then lost 2-0 to Shopify. In the lower bracket they beat Team Liquid Brazil 2-0, MIBR GC 2-0 (Sunset 13-11, Abyss 13-11), and now Shopify 3-1. That means four wins on the lower side, and their best performance came in their first best-of-five.

Gentle Mates wait in the final

Gentle Mates GC have not lost a series in the playoffs. The European team beat Team Liquid Brazil 2-0, MIBR GC 2-0 and Shopify Rebellion Gold 2-1 in the upper final, where they came back after losing Split 11-13 to win Sunset and Summit 13-11 and 13-10. Their roster is safiaa, Marti, berryx, Wens and Nami. KRÜ BLAZE play with none, ponix, tok1o, antG and micaela.

Prize money and schedule

The championship runs from 22 October to 2 November at the Riot Games studio in São Paulo, with a US$500,000 prize pool. The places decided so far:

• 1st: US$180,000 (to be decided)
• 2nd: US$100,000 (to be decided)
• 3rd: Shopify Rebellion Gold, US$70,000
• 4th: MIBR GC, US$50,000

Malaysian fans who want to watch live will need to stay up late. The match listing has a start of 12pm US Central time on 1 November, which is 2am Monday in Malaysia, and Riot's official Valorant channels will stream it.

Key takeaways

• KRÜ BLAZE beat Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 in the lower final on 31 October.
• After losing Sunset 6-13, KRÜ won Summit, Split and an overtime Ascent.
• The grand final is Gentle Mates GC vs KRÜ BLAZE, best-of-five, around 2am Monday Malaysia time.
• Gentle Mates are unbeaten in the playoffs.
• Shopify Rebellion Gold finish third and MIBR GC fourth.

FAQ

Who is in the Game Changers Championship 2026 grand final? Gentle Mates GC, who won the upper bracket, and KRÜ BLAZE, who came through the lower bracket.

What time is the grand final in Malaysia? It is scheduled for around 2am on Monday, 2 November, Malaysia time. Start times can slip if earlier broadcast segments run long.

How much does the Game Changers champion win? The winner gets US$180,000 and the runner-up US$100,000, from a US$500,000 prize pool.

Sources: VLR.gg, Sheep Esports, The Spike