paiN CEO weighs move to Europe
In a June 27th interview with Lucas Gerardi of ESPN Esports Brasil, paiN's CEO, Thomas Hamence, revealed that the top Brazilian organization is weighing a move from North America to Europe to take advantage of the higher level of competition and practice in the region. paiN are currently based in Monterrey, Mexico and have been since 2020, joining the likes of MIBR, oNe, and Imperial as part of the Brazilian émigré contingent that spends at least part of the year in North America.
In the interview with ESPN Esports Brasil, Hamence said that paiN as an organization are always attentive to the changes in the Counter-Strike landscape, and that while a move to Europe doesn't guarantee success, "it certainly can help exponentially increase [paiN]'s performance in the competitive landscape."
paiN's decision to investigate the possibility of a move to Europe comes as a number of Western Hemisphere organizations have wary of the reduced opportunities for practice and improvement at home. A number of Brazilian squads frequently bootcamp in Serbia while the likes of Case and 00 Nation, until recently, spent the majority of their time in Europe.
Likewise, facing the reality of the reduced level of talent and competition in NA, Liquid make the calculated decision to transition to a European core while selling off franchise star Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski.
The upsides for paiN make sense as the squad are reportedly bedding in a new lineup of less experienced names in the form of Cássio "cass1n" Santos and Lucas "lux" Meneghini, however it would be a hard blow to North America to lose another practice partner and competitor. Leaving NA would see paiN give up on an easier qualifier path to ESL Pro League via ESL Challenger League along with a number of other NA qualifiers. However, with the squad looking to become the best in Brazil, the risk may be worth it.
For now, no decision has been made, but another change to NA may be coming soon as the region prepares for the launch of Counter-Strike 2.
