The South American team paiN will have another opportunity to prove themselves this summer on a prestigious BLAST stage, as they replace Aurora at BLAST Open London. The Turkish team’s withdrawal has not been explained, and the official announcement of the roster change included no details. For paiN, this marks their third major tournament in a row after appearances at BLAST.tv Austin Major and IEM Cologne.
paiN continue competing at the top level
The past few months have been a significant step forward in paiN’s development. At BLAST.tv Austin Major, the Brazilians were the tournament’s biggest surprise — not only did they reach the quarterfinals, but they also defeated regional rivals FURIA before falling to The MongolZ in the semifinals.
They followed that performance with an appearance at FISSURE Playground 1, where they had a more modest showing, finishing 9th–12th. A similar result came at IEM Cologne, which runs until August 3, but has already concluded for paiN, who again placed 9th–12th.
Aurora, meanwhile, had a less impressive run of results. At the BLAST.tv Austin Major, the Turkish squad ended their campaign in 12th–14th place, failing to advance past the group stage. At IEM Cologne, they played with a stand-in — xfl0ud stepping in for XANTARES — and finished 9th–12th as well. This instability may have influenced their decision to forfeit their spot at BLAST Open London, although no official reason has been provided.
All about BLAST Open London
BLAST Open London will kick off with an online stage on August 27, followed by the LAN finals from September 5 to 7. The event will feature eight teams in total, with four spots still to be filled through the Rising qualifiers in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
The winner will take home $150,000 and earn three Frequent Flyer Tokens, which play a crucial role in qualification for the BLAST World Final 2025.
Cautious expectations
Aurora’s replacement by paiN adds intrigue to BLAST Open London. While the Brazilians have already shown they can challenge top-tier teams, each new tournament presents a new test. For paiN, this is a chance to cement their status as a consistent contender, and for fans — another opportunity to witness the rise of an ambitious team on the international stage.
