paiN Gaming returns to Dota; signs Peru Rejects

paiN Gaming was once one of South America’s most recognizable esports organisations. Their presence in Dota 2 helped legitimize the region during years when international attention was still sparse and hard-earned.

But then COVID and 2020 happened. The DPC 2019–2020 season stalled, LANs disappeared, and qualifying paths became uncertain. For smaller regions that rely heavily on DPC visibility to justify sponsorship and stability, that uncertainty hit harder than most.

paiN’s roster at the time had started the season with promise, competing at Dota Summit 11 Minor and DreamLeague Season 13 Major. But bottom finishes at both events were followed by a long drought. From January onward, they failed to qualify for any further DPC events.

For South American teams, that absence is brutal. No DPC means no visibility. No visibility means no sponsors. And without sponsors, there is no long-term sustainability.

So paiN made the difficult decision to step away from Dota 2, promising they would return when the time was right.

Now, they’ve made good on that promise.

paiN Gaming has re-entered the scene by signing Peru Rejects — the very roster that has been trading blows with HEROIC across nearly every regional qualifier this season.

In both the ESL One Birmingham 2026 and DreamLeague Season 28 qualifiers, Peru Rejects dismantled HEROIC with convincing 3:0 and 3:1 victories. They stumbled in the PGL Wallachia Season 7 qualifiers, falling 0:3 to the same rival, but quickly rebounded by claiming the CCT Season 2 title just days ago.

This isn’t an organisation chasing a trend or attempting to patch its brand by shopping for a cheaper roster abroad. This is paiN investing locally by attaching itself to the most competitive rising roster in the region right now. And the impact goes far beyond a logo change.

In an exclusive interview with the team’s coach, Juan “Vintage” Angulo, told rdy.gg:

paiN has offered us a first-class structure. We're going to have a bootcamp in Europe. Now we're going to Serbia about 10 days before DreamLeague. Also, for ESL Birmingham, we will go to England about 10 days before to do a bootcamp there too.

We also set for a two-year contract with renegotiation. They're not looking to enter Dota just for one year to see what happens. They want to build the same structure they have in CS2, they want something long-lasting.

• Read “If there's an ideal team for Parker, then this is it” - Interview with Vintage upon signing with paiN Gaming

This part is what makes this matter the most. They aren't dipping its toes back into Dota, they are committing to infrastructure, time, and stability in a region that has historically had to fight for all three. They’re trying to build conditions where results can repeat and even expand. To put and keep South America back on the competitive map.

paiN Gaming roster

• David "Parker" Nicho Flores
• Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera
• Frank "Frank" Ayala
• Elvis "Scofield" Peña
• Yelsthin "Elmisho" Hurtado