IEM Rio 2026 Day 1: skullz Fulfills His Career-Long Dream

In 2019, FURIA managed to reach the grand final for DreamHack Open Rio 2019, but fell 1-2 at the hands of AVANGAR. Later in 2022, FURIA got eliminated by GamerLegion after a humiliating 0-2 loss in the IEM Rio Major Challenger’s Stage. Eventually, in mid-2023, the team decided to undergo a full roster change under Marcelo "⁠chelo⁠" Cespedes with the induction of the infamous Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo, and the team has slowly been reaching its full potential since then.

Explosive start at IEM Rio 2024

FURIA are back in Brazil yet again and have opened the event with an explosive start. They beat FaZe 7-13 in the Group Stages, sending them home, and then later beat MOUZ 1-2 today, showing everyone that they have what it takes to win it all. While the team’s core has significantly changed since the disappointing events we discussed above, there is one exceptionally talented rookie who is having his first time here - skullz.

FURIA skullz had a short-lived career on Team Liquid, spending only 7 months before being dropped alongside the team’s captain and head coach. However, such a chain of events led him to join FURIA, his home team and nothing felt better. “It feels like home. I'm really happy to play with these guys. I love them all. They are amazing players and also amazing people. I'm really happy to be here and be part of the scene,” he said at the time.

After FURIA’s success in IEM Rio 2024 thus far, skullz gave another interview to HLTV, one that gives ample perspective on his ambitions and how they’re being held up in his current team. The highlight likely is how he has fulfilled his career-long dream of playing some of Brazil’s best players like FalleN, FURIA’s IGL.

When asked about what it feels like to play in front of his home crowd, skullz said

It means the world to me. Since I saw the announcement of IEM Rio, the Major, that was my main goal for my career, to play in front of a crowd here in my country. So it feels amazing, it's a dream come true and I can't wait to play in the arena.

When asked about what improvements he personally made to show up for the event, skullz said

We are starting to play a little bit more structured, but inside this structure we have freedom, individual freedom to do the plays that we want. FalleN gives us a lot of space to create our own plays and we adapt to each other pretty well. It's been working really well so far.

When asked about his reunion with sidde, a fellow Brazillian player, skullz said

At the time I joined Liberty, I was looking for this team that I could spend some years of my career playing with, and sidde was the guy I needed at the time. I think he's responsible for most of my career, my success, and being here with him means a lot to me because we won a lot of trophies in Brazil at the time and now we are fighting for international trophies and tier-one trophies. We're on the right path.

Towards the end of the interview, skullz gave some powerful closing remarks

At this moment we're looking for the confidence to beat these tier-one teams, and beating those teams that we played today gives us a lot of confidence. Playing with FalleN in a big arena means the world to me, and KSCERATO, yuurih, chelo, they're all players I always wanted to play with. Now it's time to make our own history.