BetBoom are out of BLAST Open Porto, and paiN are stepping into their spot after visa problems blocked the Russian org from travelling to the event. BLAST confirmed the swap directly, with paiN inheriting the slot and getting a shot at redemption after a rough run through South American qualifying earlier this year.
The timing couldn’t be sweeter for the Brazilian side. Getting knocked around in a painful SA qualifier is never fun, but a visa hiccup on BetBoom’s end has thrown paiN straight back into the international mix without needing to fight through another bracket.
What We Know So Far
Details on the tournament are still filtering through, but here’s what’s been reported around the swap:
- BetBoom’s withdrawal is tied to visa issues rather than anything competitive, according to BLAST’s own statement
- paiN take the vacated spot, marking a return to BLAST’s international stage
- The event is being reported with a prize pool in the region of $1.1 million, running across late August into early September, according to cyber.sports.ru
- The wider field reportedly includes names like NAVI, Vitality, Falcons and Spirit, per sport.ua
Last-minute swaps like this aren’t unheard of in CS2 right now – check out our breakdown of the 1win roster shuffle involving TDK, ax1le and nafany for another example of how quickly lineups can shift before a big event.
What’s Next
All eyes now turn to how paiN slot into the bracket and whether they can make the most of an opportunity they didn’t necessarily plan for. For the full rundown on who else is confirmed, our BLAST Open Porto field tracker is the place to keep tabs as more teams and details get locked in.