A slip-up by Leo Faria, VALORANT’s Global Head of eSports, has raised eyebrows. After G2 Esports won the VALORANT Masters 2025 against Xi Lai Gaming, Faria congratulated them on securing a spot in the international leagues. But here’s the thing: G2 Esports isn’t quite there yet.
Their victory did earn them a spot in the Champions Paris, but it doesn’t guarantee their place in the VCT Américas 2026. That’s because 2Game Esports, a Brazilian team from the Ascension, is still in the running. If they win, they’ll take the spot. Faria, who’s Brazilian himself, seems to have forgotten about the home team’s chances.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, to post: “G2 is not only the first team qualified for Champions Paris, but also the first ascension team to auto extend their stay in the international leagues by performance. Congrats!” But he quickly backpedaled, adding: “Sorry I got ahead of myself. The right thing to have said is that they’ve guaranteed, at a minimum, the chance to defend their spot.”
For 2Game Esports to take the spot, they need to qualify for the Champions through the second stage of the VCT Américas and finish ahead of G2 Esports. If they can’t make it to the Champions but reach the playoffs, they’ll have a chance to play in the Ascension 2025. But if they don’t advance to the playoffs, they’ll be relegated without a chance to dispute the spot again.
Faria’s mistake might seem minor, but it highlights the complexities of the VALORANT Champions Tour. With teams constantly shifting positions, it’s easy to get ahead of oneself. Fortunately, Faria owned up to his mistake and clarified the situation, showing that even the pros can make errors.
The real question now is whether 2Game Esports can capitalize on their chance and take the spot from G2 Esports. Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – the competition is heating up.