BetBoom have been forced to pull out of BLAST Open Porto due to ongoing visa problems, with paiN Gaming stepping in as their replacement for the tournament.
Visa difficulties have plagued the Russian organization throughout the entire year. Earlier, they competed at the Major without Pavel "S1ren" Ogloblin on their roster. Even before that incident, both Artem "ArtFr0st" Kharitonov and Daniil "d1Ledez" Kustov found themselves benched while waiting for visa approvals.
Despite missing out on Porto, BetBoom will have an opportunity to earn ranking points at FISSURE Playground 3, which kicks off just two days after BLAST Open Porto concludes. However, this withdrawal undoubtedly hurts a squad that remains inside the top 10 of the Valve Regional Standings following their strong playoff performance at the Cologne Major.
For paiN, this represents an unexpected opportunity. As the top-seeded runner-up from the closed qualifiers, the Brazilian team now gets their shot at competing in the main event, which boasts a prize pool of $1.1 million. What started as a disappointment has transformed into a golden chance for the South American squad to prove themselves on the international stage.
