ESL Challenger Melbourne team list finalized

ESL have revealed the eighth and final team set to participate in ESL Challenger Melbourne, inviting Brazilian side paiN to compete in the event down under. Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt's men have secured their place in the event thanks to their spot in the ESL World Rankings, behind OG and their Brazilian compatriots in Imperial.

paiN have had a varied start to the year with the side notably missing out on a spot in the PGL Antwerp Major after narrowly falling to 9z in the deciding matchup. Despite this, the Brazilians have seemingly taken that result on the chin, winning ESL Challenger League Season 41 outright while also putting up strong results in the IEM Cologne Play-in, barely losing to MOUZ in the opening game before giving Sprout a bloody nose on their way out.

Much like their Brazilian counterparts in Imperial, paiN will likely be making ESL Challenger Melbourne their debut event with a new-look lineup, with the side recently benching both Gabriel "NEKIZ" Schenato and Gabriel "Nython" Lino. Romeu "zevy" Rocco and Felipe "skullz" Medeiros are paiN's current targets to replace the pair according to a report by Dust2 Brasil.

paiN have already booked themselves a spot in the ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference due to their first-place finish in ESL Challenger League Season 41, so a victory by biguzera and company will likely see the invite go to the runner-up. Regardless, the Brazilian side will still likely enjoy any chance at taking home the lion's share of the $100,000 prize pool.

The eight teams duking it out in Melbourne are:

Teams will soon be beginning their preparation for the fall event, with ESL Challenger Melbourne getting started in just over a month's time on September 2nd. The winning team will be able to secure themselves both a place in the ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference alongside the $50,000 cash prize.