Guerri discusses FURIA new international lineup: "We’ve been working on this idea for a long time"

For the first time in history, FURIA's VALORANT roster will feature more foreign players than Brazilian players. The question on everyone's mind is: what motivated the Brazilian organization to make this decision?

In an exclusive interview with THESPIKE Brazil, FURIA's Head of Esports, Nicholas "guerri" Nogueira, said that the idea existed internally since the Counter-Strike days, but that they lacked the “courage” to put it into practice when it came to VALORANT.

“We’ve been working on this idea for a long time. When we look at FURIA as a whole, not just in VALORANT, we’ve been working on this idea, flirting with this idea, for some time. Our goal with this still remains the same: to take Brazil to the top of the world, and it’s no different in VALORANT. So in 2026 we needed to have the courage to take this path. We know the VCT is one of the most competitive environments in the world, and the reality is that we tried very hard with only Brazilian talent. I believe we’ve spent four seasons trying very hard with Brazilian talent, and we weren’t able to deliver the level of performance our fans deserve. So we want to compete at the highest level, as protagonists, the same way we do in every other game.”

International Roster, Brazilian Identity

Though this may be a new direction for FURIA when it comes to VALORANT, it's not entirely new terrain for the FURIA organization as a whole. International roster or not, though, the Panthers remain true to their Brazilian roots all the same.

“This internationalization doesn’t start now; it only starts now for VALORANT, but we already tested this back then. I’ll give you a fact from 2020: the first time we internationalized a team was in CS, when junior, an American, joined. And later we matured this idea with the arrival of YEKINDAR, molodoy, and the assistant coaches. And we are managing to do something that is our goal: to elevate our performance with both Brazilian and international players without losing our Brazilian identity, because we want to rise to that level without abandoning Brazil, ensuring that Brazil stays at the top — that’s our mission. We are a Brazilian organization, born in Brazil, whose purpose is to inspire and deliver performance with Brazilians. So we’re not just Brazilian as an organization, but also in culture, in community, in how we compete. And it’s really cool, because even the players joining already like Brazil a lot — they want to show themselves to Brazil and connect with Brazil.”

Learning from Counter-Strike

Regarding the parallel with Counter-Strike, guerri confirmed that the recent success in FURIA’s main esports division — which is thriving with an international lineup — directly influenced the decision to also internationalize the VALORANT roster. The team's Head of Esports, however, stressed that this is not an “exact science,” and that it served only as a “trigger” to solidify the decision.

“It’s obvious that you can’t just copy and paste the same recipe. But we took a risk we had been wanting to take for a while in CS. So, as I said, since 2020, 2021, we’ve been flirting with this idea, and we took the risk because it was the right time considering the opportunities we had. And it’s no different in VALORANT. 2026 is a very important year for us to make this comeback and show everyone that we are capable of competing just like we do in other games. So, yes, it absolutely helps to see that it worked there. So repeating it in VALORANT crossed my mind a lot when we looked at the options we had, and the tryouts confirmed this. We held a lot of tryouts — we were probably one of the teams that held the most tryouts during this transfer window. To put it into numbers, I’ve been on this project since late August. As soon as our season ended, I was already on the mission of getting to know people; we were one of the first to speak with several players. It helped a lot that things worked out in CS, as they are now, without a doubt.”

New Expectations: A Message to the Fans

Finally, guerri spoke openly about expectations for FURIA’s new 2026 roster, and stated firmly that the team will “click” at some point. He also said FURIA's new lineup will continue representing Brazil regardless of having more foreign players than Brazilians, and will aim to compete against the best teams in the world.

“My final message to our fans: FURIA is and always will be a Brazilian organization. Internationalization doesn’t change that. What changes is the level we want to reach. We made this decision with a lot of courage and responsibility, thinking about what you want to see most — FURIA competing at the top with the best teams in the world, fighting for big titles. The guys who are joining aren’t coming just to play VALORANT; they’re coming to play for FURIA, for our jersey, for the jersey you all love so much, for our history. And they want to get to know Brazil, they want to be part of our community, and I’m sure they’re going to fall in love with it. And we have this responsibility. As Brazilians — I think we’re a very passionate people — and traveling the world, I see how much the world loves Brazilians. The world loves us. When you say, ‘I’m Brazilian,’ I’m always treated well. So our community is very strong, very loved, very passionate. So I’m sure everyone will fall in love with this project. And our commitment is the same as always: to represent you, who love us, with intensity, respect, and ambition. So I just want you to keep believing in us. Open your hearts to the boys — I’m sure you’ll like them. We’re building something special here, and when this team clicks, I promise you’ll be proud to say this is our FURIA — mine, yours, ours. That’s my final message for everyone cheering for us and following us into the next season.”

You can find the complete video interview in the original Portuguese below.

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