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The upcoming KRU vs FURIA matchup at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 Americas KICK-OFF, taking place on January 16 at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, promises an exciting clash between two of Latin America’s top teams. Both squads have shown strong performances in recent events and preparations, making this encounter highly anticipated by VALORANT fans. Let’s take a closer look at the current form of the teams and the forecast for this matchup.
Let's dive in.
How the bookies view it: KRÜ favored
KRÜ enter this matchup as the favorites, with bookmakers giving them the edge based on recent form and consistency. The odds stand at 1.58 for KRÜ and 2.28 for FURIA, reflecting the expectation that KRÜ are more likely to control the pace of the game and secure the victory.
KRÜ form. What result can be expected from KRÜ
KRÜ Esports is a Latin American VALORANT esports team representing Argentina and regularly competing in both regional and international VALORANT tournaments across online and LAN formats. Since its founding in 2021, KRÜ has established itself as one of the most consistent organizations in the Latin America South region, regularly qualifying for VCT Masters and maintaining a strong international presence. The current lineup is built around keznit, Shyy, and Dantedeu5, with Mazino and Melser providing flexible support and strategic depth. This combination of experienced regional talent and solid leadership aims to ensure stability and competitiveness in high-pressure matches.
- KRÜ roster: keznit, Shyy, Dantedeu5, Mazino, Melser.
Throughout 2025, KRÜ delivered stable performances across multiple tiers of competition. The team finished 7th–8th at VCT Americas Stage 2, 5th–6th at VCT Americas Stage 1, and 4th at VCT Americas Kickoff, showing that while they can compete with the region’s top squads, consistency remained a challenge. KRÜ also participated in international events, taking 9th–12th at VALORANT Champions 2024, and demonstrated competitiveness in B-Tier tournaments like the Tixinha & Sacy Invitational, where they finished 2nd. These results highlight a team capable of strong performances but occasionally vulnerable against elite opponents.
KRÜ’s history includes notable achievements at Masters and Champions, confirming their status as one of LATAM’s top organizations. However, roster changes, such as the departure of heat in late 2024, reflect the team’s ongoing efforts to optimize performance and strengthen strategic leadership. With keznit anchoring the team’s fragging potential and Shyy and Dantedeu5 providing tactical flexibility, KRÜ aims to translate regional consistency into deeper runs at major international events.
Overall, the 2025 season represented a period of consolidation and preparation for KRÜ. Entering 2026, the team’s main goal is to maintain dominance in the Latin American scene, perform consistently against top North American and international teams, and secure qualification for VCT Masters and Champions events.
KRÜ Map Pool
KRÜ shows mixed results across their recent map pool, with some maps standing out as strengths while others remain inconsistent. The team has struggled on Bind, winning only 25% of their four recent matches, while Haven and Ascent are more balanced, each showing a 50% win rate with moderate round win percentages. On Split, KRÜ has limited experience and a 0% win rate in one recent match, highlighting it as a weak or less-practiced map. Icebox has been challenging, with a 33% win rate over three matches, while Pearl appears to be a strong choice for the team, winning both of their recent games and maintaining high round win rates. Lotus has been difficult, with no victories in five matches, whereas Sunset demonstrates solid performance with an 80% win rate and strong attacking rounds. Corrode is inconsistent, with one win in three matches and variable round win percentages. KRÜ has not played Breeze, Fracture, or Abyss recently, leaving these maps largely untested. Overall, KRÜ’s map pool reflects a team with clear strengths on Pearl, Sunset, and certain control maps like Ascent, but with weaknesses on maps such as Bind and Lotus that could be exploited by top-tier opponents.
FURIA form. What result can be expected from FURIA
FURIA is a Brazilian VALORANT esports team representing the FURIA organization and regularly competing in regional VALORANT tournaments, including the VCT Americas circuit. After a difficult 2025 season, in which the team struggled to produce consistent results and failed to make significant progress in major events, FURIA entered 2026 with a virtually rebuilt roster and a new strategic direction. The organization has moved several players to inactive status and brought in a mix of veterans and international talent as part of a full roster overhaul, aiming to strengthen the team’s performance and competitiveness.
- FURIA roster: artzin, eeiu, koalanoob, nerve, alym.
Throughout 2025, FURIA faced a challenging run: the team finished 9th–12th at VCT Americas Kickoff, failed to win any group stage matches in VCT Americas Stage 1 and Stage 2, and struggled against many top regional opponents. FURIA’s results in 2025 reflected deeper issues with coordination and consistency, leading to multiple roster changes as the organization looked to reset ahead of the 2026 season.
The roster overhaul ahead of 2026 aimed to address those weaknesses by bringing in players with diverse experience, including former Natus Vincere player koalanoob, as FURIA shifts toward a more international core. While the new lineup is still coalescing, the changes indicate the team’s intent to be competitive across maps and styles.
While FURIA has historically been a recognizable name in the Latin American Valorant scene, maintaining consistency against stronger regional and North American opponents has been difficult in recent seasons. Matches in 2025 showed tactical gaps and coordination issues, and although the new roster offers potential, the team needs time to fully integrate and perform at a higher level.
Overall, the 2025 season for FURIA highlighted the need for restructuring and strategic realignment. For 2026, the team’s main objective is to build cohesion with the revamped roster, improve consistency in competitive play, and challenge for better placements in regional tournaments while aiming to return to international qualification contention.
FURIA Map Pool
FURIA shows mixed results across their recent map pool, with some maps proving challenging and others offering potential for strong performances. The team has struggled on Haven and Ascent, with 0% win rate on Ascent over three matches and 0% on Haven in six matches, showing particular difficulties on control maps. Bind and Split are moderately successful for FURIA, each with a 33% win rate, reflecting inconsistency across attack and defense rounds. Icebox has been challenging as well, with a 33% win rate over six matches, despite strong attacking rounds in some games. Pearl, Lotus, and Sunset have shown limited success, with win rates ranging from 0–20%, though Sunset’s round stats indicate some potential to compete. Abyss stands out as a rare strength, with a 100% win rate in their only recent match, while Corrode has been inconsistent, with one win in three matches. FURIA has not recently played Breeze or Fracture, leaving these maps largely untested. Overall, FURIA’s map pool reflects a team with sporadic successes but clear vulnerabilities on key maps like Haven, Ascent, and Bind that could be exploited by top-tier opponents.
FURIA Esports and KRÜ Esports: Head‑to‑Head
FURIA Esports and KRÜ Esports have faced each other around 7–8 times in official Valorant competitions, with FURIA holding a slight edge of 4 wins to KRÜ’s 3 and an overall map score of 9–8. Recent encounters have been tightly contested: KRÜ took a 2–1 victory over FURIA in the April 2024 VCT Americas League, while FURIA bounced back with 2–1 wins in the December 2024 Tixinha Invitational and a 1–0 Icebox victory in the July 2025 Tixinha & Sacy Invitational. Overall, the matchup remains highly competitive, with FURIA showing a narrow historical advantage but KRÜ capable of pulling off key wins, making every clash between these teams unpredictable and exciting.
Predicted result of the match between FURIA Esports vs KRÜ Esports at VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff
The upcoming KRU vs FURIA matchup at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 Americas KICK-OFF on January 16 is expected to favor KRU, who enter the series as the stronger and more consistent team. With their roster led by keznit and supported by Shyy and Dantedeu5, KRU have shown stability in high-pressure matches and a solid ability to control games on maps like Pearl, Sunset, and Ascent. FURIA, meanwhile, are still adjusting to a largely rebuilt roster, with weaknesses on control maps such as Haven and Ascent and only sporadic successes on Icebox and Abyss. While their head-to-head history is close, with FURIA holding a slight 4–3 edge in previous encounters, KRÜ’s current form and map readiness make them the team more likely to dictate the pace of the match. Considering these factors, KRU are expected to take the victory, likely winning in a straight or closely contested series, while FURIA may struggle to find consistency against the structured play and tactical depth of KRÜ.
Betting prediction: KRÜ Esports wins.
Team Liquid Academy01.03.2611:30Bo3
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