Imperial Esports win CCT South America 2026 Series #3 and take US$7,500

Imperial Esports closed CCT South America 2026 Series #3 at the top of the podium. In the online tournament’s grand final, VINI’s team beat Bounty Hunters Esports 2-1 and claimed the main prize of US$7,500, consolidating their position among the most consistent teams in the South American Counter-Strike 2 scene.

A solid campaign from start to finish

Imperial went straight into the round of 16 and left no room for surprises. They got past ALKA GAMING 2-0, repeated the scoreline against Isurus and then eliminated LargadosyPelados with the same efficiency. Three series, three wins, every deciding map controlled.

In the final, Bounty Hunters managed to react and force the deciding map, but the team led by Vinícius “VINI” Figueiredo closed out the tie on the third map without any scares. The lineup that took the field featured Kaiky “noway” Santos, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, Lucas “decenty” Barcelar Sardinha Soares and Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco, on loan from Legacy. Three players from the official roster – Felipe “skullz” Medeiros, Guilherme “levi” Gustavo Godoy and Richard “chayJESUS” Seydi – were left out due to inactivity or being loaned to other teams.

Prize distribution and final standings

The tournament brought together 24 South American teams between 27 June and 9 July, with a total prize pool of US$15,000. Bounty Hunters took US$4,000 for runner-up. LargadosyPelados and Fluxo W7M shared third and fourth place, pocketing US$1,750 each. From fifth position – where Isurus, Fake do Biru, Keyd Stars and Patins da Ferrari appeared – there was no financial reward. Ex-KRÜ Esports and Vasco eSports were disqualified during the competition.

For Imperial, the title goes beyond the purse. The performance strengthens the team’s candidacy for invitations and higher-profile qualifiers in the second half of the year – an increasingly contested period in the CS2 regional calendar.