MIBR benches entire VALORANT roster after securing VCT Americas partner spot

Brazilian organization MIBR has moved its entire VALORANT roster to the inactive list and made the players available for transfer negotiations, just days after being named a VCT Americas partner team for 2027.

The move affects Erick "aspas" Santos, Zachary "zekken" Patrone, Andrew "Verno" Maust and Roberto "Mazino" Rivas, while Ian "tex" Botsch was already on the bench after announcing in September he was exploring his options.

In an Oct. 23 statement, MIBR said the decision followed discussions with the players' representatives and took into account "significant changes to the competitive structure" for 2027, "including the regional transition and the challenges associated with it."

The organization said, "As part of this process, the players will be moved to the inactive roster and made available for transfer negotiations. All existing contractual obligations remain in effect, and any potential transfers will be negotiated directly with MIBR."

The roster includes Champions 2022 winner aspas and Masters Madrid titleholder zekken.

According to the VCT Global Contract Database, tex's contract expires at the end of 2026, while the other players are signed through the end of 2027.

The 2027 shake-up follows a disappointing 2026 for the so-called superteam.

MIBR finished in the top five at Americas Kickoff and was eliminated in the lower quarterfinals of both Stage 1 and Stage 2, missing every international event.

That left aspas out of VALORANT Champions for the first time in his career.

Under the revamped 2027 format, partner teams receive direct entry only into Kickoff, with the best-performing teams advancing and the rest dropping into Open Playoffs.

Kickoff São Paulo is scheduled for Jan. 14 to Feb. 7.

Japanese outlet Valorant News Japan reported that the current roster mix of one Brazilian, one Chilean and three American players would place MIBR in the North America region under the new format.

The outlet also reported that aspas and Mazino have already posted that they are looking for teams.

MIBR's statement included no news on staff, meaning head coach Daniel "fRoD" Montaner appears to remain in place.

The Brazilian team was one of only four South American organizations to be chosen as a partner in the restructure, alongside fellow Brazilian org LOUD and Argentine orgs KRÜ Esports and Leviatán.

VCT partner status confers various benefits, including a partnership stipend, revenue from skin sales, and direct seeding into later parts of the VCT qualifiers.

MIBR will be seeking to field a more competitive roster for VCT 2027 after the failure to qualify for Valorant Champions 2026.

That compounded a painful year that saw their regional rivals Leviatán and LOUD win international competitions at Valorant Masters London and Valorant Champions Shanghai.