The KRÜ Blaze team secured a 3-1 victory over Shopify Rebellion Gold and advanced to the finals of the VCT Game Changers Championship 2026. After falling short on the first map, the Argentine squad won the next three in a row during the match held on Saturday, October 31. This defeat marked the end of Shopify Rebellion Gold's run at the championship.
The matchup began with a victory for Shopify Rebellion Gold on the first map, which lasted 47 minutes. KRÜ Blaze tied the score on the fastest map of the series (37 minutes), and then took the lead after a 50-minute third game. The fourth map was the longest of the evening (70 minutes), and winning it allowed KRÜ Blaze to close out the best-of-five series without needing to play a deciding game. This result went against the odds, as Shopify Rebellion Gold was ranked 10th with a rating of 1782, while KRÜ Blaze sat in the 20th position with a rating of 1742, although they did boast a stronger overall record of 63-21 across 84 rated matches.
The victory served as revenge for KRÜ Blaze, as they had previously lost to Shopify Rebellion Gold 0-2 in the upper bracket semifinals on October 27. After dropping to the lower bracket, KRÜ Blaze secured three consecutive series wins, taking seven of the eight maps played. In the previous rounds, they swept both Team Liquid Brazil in the quarterfinals and MIBR GC in the lower bracket semifinals with identical 2-0 scores. The team began their playoff run with a 2-1 win over Gen.G GC and arrived at the championship as the Latin American regional final winners, having defeated Akave Esports Black 3-1.
For the North American team Shopify Rebellion Gold, the tournament ended with two consecutive defeats. Earlier in the week, the squad looked confident: they defeated SK Nebula (2-0) and KRÜ Blaze, and had entered the championship following two wins over FlyQuest RED at the North America Stage 2 tournament. However, in the upper bracket final, they fell to Gentle Mates GC with a score of 1-2, losing their direct ticket to the grand final.
In the decisive championship match, which will take place on Sunday, November 1 at 20:00 Kyiv time, KRÜ Blaze will face Gentle Mates GC. Their opponent reached the grand final without a single loss in the playoffs, having defeated Team Liquid Brazil (2-0), MIBR GC (2-0), and Shopify Rebellion Gold.
As a reminder, In France, a gigabyte tax for streaming services and social networks is being considered in the 2027 budget draft
