Biguzera⁠: "We've already proven that we can beat anyone in Brazil"

Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt, the captain of the Brazilian team paiN, commented on his team’s qualification for the group stage of one of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 championships of 2024—IEM Cologne 2024. In an interview with HLTV, Bittencourt emphasised that the tournament in Cologne is an opportunity for paiN to prove themselves on the international stage.

"This is our chance to prove that we can compete with the giants. We’ve already shown that we can beat anyone in Brazil. Now we need to start doing the same on the international level.

I think this is the moment where we need to show everything we’re capable of and be as focused as possible to achieve the best results."

Biguzera also spoke about his teammate João "⁠snow⁠" Vinícius, who officially joined paiN’s roster in May of this year.

"His adaptation is going very well; he’s a hard-working guy. He wants to be here; he truly wants to take it to the next level and win an event. I’d say he wants it more than anyone. I think his determination will take him where he wants to go."

PaiN won two consecutive matches in the lower bracket of the Play-In stage at IEM Cologne 2024 and advanced to the group stage of the championship. In the first round of the lower bracket, the team defeated Imperial, followed by a victory over MIBR. PaiN dropped to the lower bracket after losing to Liquid.