Team Liquid Brazil and Japan's FENNEL GC officially survived the first lower-bracket elimination round at the Valorant Game Changers Championship 2026 in Brazil on Sunday, securing critical tournament lives by knocking out Nova Esports GC and Gen.G GC respectively. According to verified reports from VLR.gg, the opening lower-bracket series delivered electric international showdowns. FENNEL GC kicked off the action by outlasting Pacific rivals Gen.G GC in a grueling 2-1 battle. After trading map wins across Ascent and Haven, suzu and SereNa locked down defense setups to close out the decider, marking FENNEL's second win in their heated six-week rivalry. Immediately following, hometown favorites Team Liquid Brazil electrified the São Paulo crowd with a decisive 2-0 sweep against Nova Esports GC. Led by star initiator Natalia 'daiki' Vilela and duelist Isabeli 'isaa' Esser, Liquid dominated early pistol rounds and executed flawless post-plant retakes, sending Nova packing without dropping a single map. Much like the tension seen during the [Fortnite Solo FNCS 2026 Grand Finals: Live Results [Confirmed]](/news/fortnite-solo-fncs-2026-grand-finals-live-results), the GCC lower bracket showed zero margin for error.