RED Canids Promote reNTU to Replace history Ahead of IEM Rio 2026

RED Canids have turned inward to fill the gap left by Allan “history” Lawrenz, promoting 20-year-old AWPer Renan “reNTU” Cardoso from the academy roster to the main Counter-Strike 2 lineup. The move was confirmed by HLTV on April 2, with the report noting that reNTU had been selected to take over the sniper role after history’s recent removal from the active squad. Dust2 Brasil had already reported a few days earlier that RED planned to use the academy AWPer in upcoming events, and history later stated that his exit was a mutual termination and that he was no longer under contract with the organization. 

What makes the promotion especially notable is how quickly reNTU’s rise has happened. According to HLTV, he only switched to CS2 in January after previously playing CS:GO, then joined RED Canids Academy a month later. His first stretch with the junior side immediately produced a result: RED Canids Academy won the Liga Gamers Club 2026 Série A February Cup, beating paiN Academy in the final. HLTV’s academy team page also records that title run, listing the 2-0 win over paiN Academy on February 27 as the team’s most recent first-place finish before reNTU’s call-up. 

The promotion was not purely about long-term development either; it had immediate competitive value. In his first appearances for the senior team, reNTU helped RED Canids top their group at BetBoom Circuit X Mayhem São Paulo. HLTV reported that he averaged a 1.24 rating across wins over METANOIA Wolves and Fluxo. The team page confirms both results, showing back-to-back 2-0 victories on April 1 and April 2, while match statistics from the METANOIA series show that reNTU contributed a 1.57 rating on one map and finished the series with solid numbers overall, even if his debut was not a pure hard-carry performance from start to finish. That is important context: the early returns were encouraging, but they were still part of a very small sample. 

The change also continues a longer rebuild inside RED Canids. The current lineup now consists of dav1deuS, drop, chayJESUS, kauez, and reNTU, with Gustavo “tge” Motta as coach. Earlier this year, the organization had already made another important move by bringing back David “dav1deuS” Tapia Maldonado for a third stint after his transfer from paiN. That return helped stabilize the roster, and HLTV’s current team profile shows dav1deuS leading RED’s present core statistically with a 1.21 rating during his current spell. In other words, reNTU is not joining a finished product; he is joining a team that has been actively reshaping itself for months. 

history’s departure closes a shorter chapter. He joined RED Canids in late July 2025 after coldzera’s exit, initially stepping in as the new AWPer and averaging a 1.18 rating across his first two CCT matches for the team, according to HLTV’s July roster update. Dust2 Brasil’s reporting around his exit makes clear that the separation was amicable on paper, but the timing underlines that RED wanted a new direction before an important run of events. 

That timing matters because RED Canids are heading into a much bigger spotlight than a domestic online cup. In January, the Brazilian side secured qualification for IEM Rio 2026 by winning the South American closed qualifier. Now, after the latest roster move, they are set to open the LAN against world No. 1 Vitality when the event begins on April 13. HLTV’s tournament coverage lists RED Canids against Vitality in the opening round and notes that IEM Rio will run from April 13 to April 19. For reNTU, this means the promotion is not a slow integration project. If he keeps the spot, his first real test at tier-one level could come almost immediately against one of the strongest teams in the world. 

So far, the verified picture is straightforward. RED Canids lost history, chose an internal replacement instead of signing outside experience, and received an encouraging first response from reNTU in São Paulo. The academy prospect arrives with recent trophy-winning momentum, but also with very limited experience at this level. That combination makes the move both practical and risky: practical because RED already knew the player, his role, and the structure around him; risky because the team’s next major benchmark is not regional opposition, but an IEM Rio opener against Vitality. The promotion therefore looks less like a routine academy experiment and more like a pressure test for RED Canids’ whole rebuilding strategy.