paiN Gaming concluded their run at the Esports World Cup 2026 after suffering a 2-0 defeat to The MongolZ. They are playing in Paris after the EWC was moved to the French capital earlier this year. The Brazilian squad started the tournament with a 13-3 loss to South American rivals 9z before securing a 2-1 victory over Wildcard in the lower bracket. Following their elimination, in-game leader Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt outlined the internal hurdles the roster is currently facing, specifically pointing to a disconnect between his tactical vision and the younger players on the team.
Tactical misalignment and roster growing pains
When asked about building consistency following recent roster changes, biguzera identified a clear gap in how the game is understood within the server. He explained that transferring his Counter-Strike philosophy to his teammates has been a significant challenge.
It is very difficult to put my ideas about Counter-Strike in their heads,” biguzera stated. “It is very difficult to put like the things that I think about Counter-Strike in the heads and is the most difficult part.
The veteran captain emphasized that a tier-one roster requires complete synergy to function properly.
I have to improve more and I think work more in this kind of things,” he explained. “If in a team you have five players and like two or three do not think exactly like you, I think the team will not survive. I think this is our biggest mistake right now.
Falling short against The MongolZ
The lack of alignment was visible during their elimination series. On the opening map of Nuke, Biguzera felt the team had the right reads but failed to capitalize on their strategic advantages.
I could read them well, but at the same time, I think the execute about the game plan was not good at all,” he said. “I think we had the game in our hands, but at the same time, we make a lot of mistakes.
On the second map, Inferno, the in-game leader took direct responsibility for the struggles, pointing to a longer trend of poor performances on the map.
For me it is my fault because the last months I have been struggling a lot on Inferno not just individual but like as a team also, and for me it was very difficult to play this map,” biguzera admitted. While he had yet to review the demo, he attributed the map loss to over peeks and miscommunication.
Language barriers and individual form
Despite the early exit and team struggles, Biguzera remained satisfied with his personal mechanical output at the event.
As individual performance I think was good,” he noted. “Usually as IGL I am the kind that kills, and I do not know, for me it was great.
Addressing the broader Counter-Strike trend of building international rosters, the Brazilian caller quickly dismissed the idea of leading an English-speaking team in the future. He explained that translating his complex, split-second decisions is not a viable option for his leadership style.
I speak English but I do not feel comfortable speaking English as a team,” biguzera said. “If I would be just a rifler for me it could be, but as an IGL for me would be crazy because sometimes it is difficult to say some calls in Portuguese so I cannot imagine it in English.
