Aurora Gaming withdrew from 1W ESSENCE I: reasons behind the decision

Representatives of the esports organization Aurora Gaming have announced that the team will not participate in 1W ESSENCE I as they are currently busy obtaining visas for other tournaments. The announcement was posted on the club’s X page.

At this time, it is unknown who will take Aurora Gaming’s place in the competition. Earlier, Team Liquid and Team Falcons withdrew from the tournament and were replaced by Team Nemesis and SA Rejects, but they began their run in the group stage rather than the playoffs, unlike the other invited Tier 1 teams.

Due to the update in the roster of participants, the tournament format has been changed: the two groups in the first stage now include five teams each, instead of four. The teams that finish last in each group will be eliminated. However, there may be another decider match between the fifth-place teams in each group for the playoff slot vacated by Aurora Gaming.

1W ESSENCE I takes place from 02.05.2026 to 11.05.2026 in an online format. 14 teams will compete for a $100,000 prize pool.

The next tournament for Aurora Gaming will be DreamLeague Season 29, which kicks off on May 13. The team has also qualified for BLAST SLAM VII.

As CyberScore previously reported, Fishman will play for Nemiga Gaming at 1W ESSENCE I.