The 2025 Americas League — the combined league that briefly combined North American League Championship Series and Brazilian League of Legends teams into a cross-regional season — may not last more than a year, but its impact will be felt this year and in future Copa Americas (the long-term remnants of the 2025 season).
The event begins on Wednesday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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The America’s Cup is a cross-regional competition between the second and third place players from the LCS and CBLOL.
Although not on the same stage as other international competitions, winning the America’s Cup will bring several awards. The first is regional bragging rights — declaring which region of the country performed better in the first quarter of the year.
What’s more, second place prizes can have long-term consequences, as the tournament winner will get a chance to train in South Korea, home to some of the most competitive solo queue environments in the sport.
For most Sentinels, this trip will be a return visit. It will be a first for American-born mid laner Isaac “DARKWINGS” Chou.
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Chou is in his first full season as a mid laner, a position that requires individual skill, full-game awareness and the ability to influence other areas of the map. In his first season, he established himself as one of the most consistent players in his position.
After Saturday’s split, Zhou was direct about what he wanted from Brazil.
“We do want to go to training camp in Korea,” he said. “It’s like a priority. I really want to go, too.”
His reasons for the trip went beyond personal development.
Sentinels coach Greyson “GoldenGlue” Gilmer noted that Chou will especially benefit from the intense competition in South Korea’s solo queue.
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“Honestly, the mid lane players in Korean solo queue are really good in lane,” Gilmer said after the Sentinels’ win over Brazilian side Red Dogs on Wednesday. “It definitely helped improve his lane phase.”
The Sentinels weren’t the only ones who wanted the trip. LCS qualifiers Cloud9 Kia remain a threat in the lower bracket, while the Red Canids could also emerge from the lower bracket to win the America’s Cup.
But the Sentinel won’t see that far. They will face FURIA on Friday and a win will put them one game shy of a road trip.
FURIA wants to make Brazil proud
Everyone was disappointed when FURIA failed to get the first place spot, but instead of dwelling on the failure and letting the fans down, FURIA stepped up against Cloud9 and swept second place in the LCS 2-0.
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Arthur “Tutsz” Machado said the team came to Brazil to restore confidence and show fans they belong on this stage.
Machado said the long-term deal benefits the Brazilian side despite the early dominance of North American teams. By the end of the experiment, the gap had closed enough that a real cross-regional final was just around the corner.
Gilmer also agreed that the quality of competition in the CBLOL has improved, and combined with the weaker LCS division, it can create compelling competition.
Machado pointed to FURIA’s early aggression as a key factor in defeating Cloud9. Gilmer said he noticed the trend among scouts and watched it play out in real time.
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“I used Cloud9 to watch games before. [Wednesday] It’s fun to watch watching them pick out cool picks like Yasuo, Malphite,” he said. “I still think that though the same focus is still there, like being very aggressive and they like to play teamfight-like compositions. “
FURIA finished third in CBLOL, much like the Sentinels did in the LCS, and Machado said never having played against this team fueled his desire to face them. He identified the Sentinels as the opponent he wanted in the upper bracket finals — and on Friday he got his wish.
South Korea means different things to both teams
Both FURIA and Sentinels are one win away from a trip to South Korea after Friday, and both teams have been honest about their desire to head to the global hub of League of Legends.
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FURIA conducted a trip to South Korea in November 2025 but was short-staffed. With support for Gabriel “JoJo” Dzelme unable to attend due to financial reasons, the team played the experience as a four-person team and played mostly solo queue games.
After winning the America’s Cup, FURIA will travel to South Korea in June, around the time of the Mid-Season Invitational, where they can train with the world’s top teams competing in the competition. Machado logged approximately 500 solo queue matches during his November trip, reaching Challenger level – the highest ranking available.
Even with these memories, Machado said winning the America’s Cup will only ensure that the entire team can come together and play quality games as a unit in South Korea.
“It’s a safety net,” Machado said.
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For the Sentinels, the prize carries a different weight. A win would give Chou his first taste of one of the toughest solo queue environments in the world, while also allowing the four Korean players on the roster — Eon-young “Impact” Jeong, Yoo-jin “HamBak” Ham, Min-seong “Rahel” Cho and Jae-hyun “huhi” Choi — to go home.
“They get to show us around and we get some delicious food,” Gilmer said. “It’s going to be a really good team experience.”
Paul Delos Santos covers the fighting game community and Riot Games ecosystem for The Sports Tribune and Inside Esports, a newsletter published every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe to insideesports.media.