The Russian organization Team Spirit has announced a change in the position of the support role. Nikita "Panto" Balaganyn has joined the team, taking the place of Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov, who has decided to take a break from his professional career and has been moved to the reserve. The detailed terms of the transition have not been disclosed; however, it is known that Panto has signed a full contract and has already started training with the team.
Miposhka has been with Team Spirit since 2020 and during this time became one of the most recognizable captains on the CIS scene. Under his leadership, the team won The International 2021 and The International 2023 and also took first place at the Esports World Cup 2025, consistently ranking among the world's top teams. After nearly five years of performances, Yaroslav decided to take a break and temporarily left the active roster.
Before joining Team Spirit, Panto represented Aurora Gaming, where he was benched in October and officially left the organization today. With Aurora, he showed stable results at the Tier-1 level, including top-8 at the Esports World Cup 2025, 4th place at DreamLeague Season 26, as well as top-6 finishes at PGL Wallachia Season 3–4 and BLAST Slam III. His experience playing against the region's top teams and confident play on defensive heroes make him a logical choice for Team Spirit.
The next tournament for the revamped roster will be BLAST Slam IV, starting October 14. The prize pool for the competition will be 1 million USD, and you can follow Team Spirit's progress through this link.
Updated Team Spirit Roster:
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