The Imperial roster got a chance to play at the BLAST Open Fall 2025, even though they initially failed to qualify. The organizers' decision was a result of applying Valve's rules, which paved the way for the Brazilian team to enter the tournament. For fans, this is an intriguing twist — it's not often in esports that a team replacement during the qualifying stage leads to a new participant in the main event.

Valve's official rule 3.2.5(c) states: if a team declines an invitation to the qualifiers for a specific tournament, they lose the right to participate in it in the future. This is exactly what happened with paiN Gaming, who did not accept a direct invitation to the South American closed qualifier for BLAST Open Fall 2025. However, they later received an invite as a replacement team, which, according to rule 3.2.5(c), leads to their exclusion.

Shuffles in South America

After paiN's exclusion, their slot, according to the VRS ranking, was transferred to Legacy. This gives Legacy a direct invitation, and their spot from the closed qualifier went to the finalists of the South American selection — the Imperial team. Now Imperial, Legacy, and 14 other top teams will compete for a spot at BLAST Open Fall 2025 through the Closed Qualifier, which will be held online from August 27 to September 1, 2025, with only 6 teams advancing to the main event in London.

This reshuffle changes the dynamics of the entire South American selection. Imperial, being a team with significant experience and fan support, will get a chance to showcase themselves on a major stage. For the region, it's a rare occurrence when two teams receive unexpected upgrades in their positions.