Brazilian esports organisation PaiN Gaming has replaced Aurora Gaming at the BLAST Open London event.
The event organiser announced the change ahead of the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament taking place in September.
Aurora Gaming hasn’t disclosed information regarding its decision not to compete at BLAST Open London, but it does follow a downward turn in form for the Serbian esports organisation.
Ismailcan ‘XANTARES’ Dörtkardeş was unable to attend Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne resulting in Yasin ‘xfl0ud’ Koç competing as a stand-in. Aurora failed to qualify for the Playoffs, earning a top-12 placement.
The opportunity to compete at another Tier 1 event is another chance for PaiN Gaming to cement its place among the best teams in the world. A top-four finish at the BLAST.tv Austin Major saw the Brazilian side climb to 16th in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
In recent weeks, BLAST has sought replacements for its upcoming tournaments as teams attempt to balance a congested event schedule. For BLAST Bounty Season 2, OG Esports has replaced TYLOO following a lengthy spell competing in Europe.
BLAST Open London Teams
Before the LAN finals take place from September 5th to 7th, 16 teams will compete in online qualifiers, with the top six advancing to OVO Arena Wembley.
BLAST is no stranger to hosting CS2 events in the UK. In 2024, the event organiser hosted the BLAST Premier Spring Final, with Team Spirit emerging victorious.
With PaiN Gaming now confirmed to take part, below is the full list of teams competing in the closed qualifiers taking place from August 27th to September 1st:
- Team Vitality
- MOUZ
- Team Spirit
- The MongolZ
- G2 Esports
- NAVI
- GamerLegion
- FaZe Clan
- HEROIC
- Virtus.pro
- FURIA
- PaiN Gaming
The four remaining teams will be determined from the BLAST Rising rankings for Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
