KRÜ Blaze claimed an emotional 3-2 victory in the Grand Finals of the Valorant Game Changers Championship 2026.
The Valorant Game Changers Championship is the global culmination of the Game Changers circuit, aimed at providing competition and representation for women and other marginalized genders in Valorant esports.
KRÜ Blaze complete historic Lower Bracket run to win Game Changers Championship
Coming into the Valorant Game Changers Championship 2026, only G2 Gozen, Shopify Rebellion Black, and Team Liquid Brazil had claimed the biggest prize in the scene.
Those three teams were largely expected to get into the deep parts of the competition again, but the tournament did not follow the script as new forces emerged in Valorant esports.
Team Liquid Brazil and G2 Gozen were sent to the Lower Bracket early after losses to Gentle Mates GC and MIBR GC. The pair were then matched up in the Lower Bracket, resulting in G2 Gozen’s EMEA champions leaving the competition early.
Shopify remained in the Upper Bracket after defeating SK Nebula, Gen.G GC, and KRÜ Blaze but narrowly fell to Genlte Mates in the Upper Bracket Final.
Meanwhile, KRÜ Blaze was making an incredible Lower Bracket run, dispatching Team Liquid and regional rivals MIBR to set up a rematch with SR Gold, who they largely demolished in a 3-1 Lower Final victory.
That meant KRÜ Blaze faced an undefeated Gentle Mates in the Grand Final, and M8’s momentum seemed to continue in Map 1 of Haven, where the French org took a 13-5 victory.
However, KRÜ Blaze hit back with a 13-5 victory of their own on Abyss. Moving on to Map 3, it was clear that the contest was even. A 14-12 overtime victory went the way of KRÜ, stealing their opponent’s second pick, but Gentle Mates bit back on Split with a 13-8 map win.
A titanic contest, KRÜ Blaze outlasted their opponents on the deciding map of Ascent to claim an emotional 13-8 victory, with tears flowing in pure elation for the KRÜ Blaze roster.
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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