BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City Team Preview: FURIA

David ViaMay 06, 2026

FURIA had to rebuild their Rainbow Six Siege roster after all members but Gustavo “HerdsZ” Herdina swapped the Black Panthers for Team Liquid Alienware. As if fate would have it, the Blue Cavalry ended up missing out on Salt Lake City; whilst HerdsZ and his new teammates didn’t only qualify but did so as South America’s Kickoff champions.

Expectations had been high around FURIA since the Black Panthers revealed their new project. Led by the Six Invitational 2024 champion and including internationally and regionally well-proven players such as the former G2 Esports’ player Roberto “Loira” Camargo, HerdsZ’s former w7m esports’ teammate Gabriel “volpz” Fernandes, and the former M80 and Team Liquid player Lucas “DiasLucas” Dias, the hype for the team was extremely high since day one. So far, so good for the Brazilians.

In this article we will have a look at FURIA’s players, their results during the first month of the season, and what they could achieve in Salt Lake City:

How did FURIA qualify for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City?

FURIA qualified for Salt Lake City after six matches in South America’s Kickoff. However, the Black Panthers only played against four different teams, as they faced off against Fluxo W7M and Ninjas in Pyjamas both in the group stage and in the playoffs.

The Brazilians won five of their six games, winning seven of their eight maps played. Their only defeat came against INTZ and it was a maximum overtime loss. Overall, the Black Panthers have looked exceptionally strong and surprisingly well-balanced despite having only worked together for a few weeks.

Here’s a look at the matches played by FURIA in the South America League 2026 Kickoff:

As South American champions, FURIA will travel to Salt Lake City as the region’s first seed, which will likely give the team an advantage at the start of the Swiss Stage.

Individual performances

FURIA’s three best players in South America’s Kickoff have been DiasLucas, volpz, and Loira with SiegeGG ratings of 1.29, 1.19, and 1.07, respectively. The three players are among the best 15 players in South America’s Kickoff, with DiasLucas being the best player in the standings as he also averaged the best KOST and the best survival.

Meanwhile, Caetano “Bokzera” Molina and HerdsZ averaged negative ratings of 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. It’s worth mentioning HerdsZ’s rating; although it’s already quite poor according to the Brazilian’s standards, it would be even lower if it wasn’t for his 1.59 rating in FURIA’s win against Fluxo W7M in their group stage clash.

This being said, HerdsZ’s leadership of the project after staying in the team following the departure of his former teammates is worth having in mind; not to mention his versatility and adaptation to the newer roles inside the roster.

Last but not least, it’s also worth mentioning Tassus “reduct” Issi’s impact in the team through his experience, leadership, and knowledge of the game. The former MIBR player and Team Liquid head coach will make his international debut behind his players in Salt Lake City, a moment Brazilian fans have been waiting for since he joined the Blue Cavalry mid-season in Year 10.

Maps played

Although FURIA played eight maps during South America’s Kickoff, the Black Panthers only showed four maps, these being Fortress, Kafe Dostoyevsky, Bank, and Border. Moreover, the Brazilians played six times on Fortress and Kafe Dostoyevsky alone, whilst Bank and Border were only seen once each.

Logically, this puts FURIA in a better position; the fewer maps shown by the Black Panthers, the less information opponents will have to prepare for potential games against the Brazilians.

Maps banned

FURIA’s most banned maps were Clubhouse and Consulate, as they banned them in every Kickoff series. In fact, Clubhouse and Consulate represent almost two thirds of their bans, with Bank being their third most banned map with only three bans.

What are the expectations around FURIA in Salt Lake City?

As we said earlier, expectations around FURIA have been high since the start of the season. Heading to Salt Lake City, we can look at FURIA from two different angles.

First, FURIA’s results in South America point at a very well-structured roster with a very good foundation. Individually, all players are highly talented and most of them have plenty of experience on the international stage, with Bokzera being the only international debutant in the roster. As South American champions in Salt Lake City, the Black Panthers should be seen as a threat and could even be considered as champion contenders.

However, FURIA’s roster is very young; after all, the team was assembled a few weeks ago. The project had to be built from scratch. This will be their first international event together, meaning pressure and even the expectations previously discussed could have an impact in their performance on stage.

After considering both angles, we think FURIA should at least reach the playoffs, with the most realistic goal being a semifinal appearance. A Swiss Stage exit would be a disappointing result for the Brazilians, reaching the playoffs would be acceptable, and being among the four best sides would already be a success for the players.

For more information about Rainbow Six Siege and its esports scene, make sure to check out Siege.GG.

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