Brazilian esports organization PaiN Gaming will step in for Aurora Gaming at the upcoming BLAST Open London tournament.
The change was announced by the event organizer ahead of the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) competition set to take place this September. While Aurora Gaming has not revealed why it withdrew, the team has recently seen a dip in form. Notably, Ismailcan ‘XANTARES’ Dörtkardeş missed IEM Cologne, forcing Yasin ‘xfl0ud’ Koç to stand in. Aurora ultimately finished outside the playoffs, placing in the top 12.
PaiN Gaming, meanwhile, continues to rise. The team’s top-four finish at the BLAST.tv Austin Major pushed them to 16th in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), and this new opportunity could help solidify their place among the world’s best.
BLAST has been actively adjusting its tournament lineups due to the packed competitive calendar. In another recent change, OG Esports replaced TYLOO at BLAST Bounty Season 2 after TYLOO’s extended European campaign.
BLAST Open London Details
Before the LAN finals at OVO Arena Wembley from September 5–7, 16 teams will battle in online qualifiers. The top six will advance.
Here’s the current list of teams confirmed for the closed qualifiers (August 27 – September 1):
- Team Vitality
- MOUZ
- Team Spirit
- The MongolZ
- G2 Esports
- NAVI
- GamerLegion
- FaZe Clan
- HEROIC
- Virtus.pro
- FURIA
- PaiN Gaming
Four more teams will qualify through BLAST Rising rankings in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
BLAST previously hosted the Premier Spring Final in the UK, where Team Spirit claimed the trophy. Now, BLAST Open London promises another high-stakes CS2 showdown—with PaiN Gaming ready for the spotlight.
