Starting from May 27 until August 21, top-flight teams from Siege's top flights have the chance to make roster changes. In other words, teams have from the beginning of the BLAST R6 Major Manchester until the start of Stage 2 to solve the issues experienced during the first split.
While some teams would love to hide their roster changes and reveal them the day before the first match of the season, that's simply not possible.
Additionally, with the creation of the Esports World Cup, teams must register for their respective open qualifiers. With anyone having access to the registered squad names, the Esports World Cup Open Qualifiers give us an idea of what roster moves could be in the making.
Keep in mind that teams have no obligation to maintain these rosters heading to the second split of the season, as the transfer window ends on August 21. For instance, in 2023, G2 Esports dropped Bryon "Blurr" Murray and signed Luigi "Gemini" Ferrigno, who only represented the European powerhouse at the Gamers8 2023 and the R6 North Rainbow Rumble. Following his performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Italian was benched.
Considering this, here are the top-flight teams that seem to have made changes to their starting squads and will compete in their respective Esports World Cup Online Qualifiers.
Europe (last update June 13)
So far, every Europe League 2024 team has registered to compete in Europe's Esports World Cup open qualifiers except for WYLDE. Out of the eight top-flight teams registered, Fnatic, Team BDS, Virtus.pro, and Into the Breach's squads look the same as they did after the conclusion of the first stage. Meanwhile, all Wolves Esports, ENCE, G2 Esports, and Team Secret seem to have made at least one roster move.
All G2 Esports, Wolves Esports, and Team Secret, who have yet to announce any changes, have included some new faces on their rosters. Let's have a look!
G2 Esports
Following the team's BLAST R6 Major Manchester Phase 1 exit, the European powerhouse seems to have decided to make two roster changes.
G2 Esports' squad registered to compete in the Esports World Cup European Open Qualifiers doesn't include the Six Invitational 2023 champions Jake "Virtue" Grannan and Benjamin "Benjamaster" Dereli. While the Australian was the most experienced player in the team after joining the samurai in March 2020, the Dane joined in January 2023 and was a crucial player in the team's success at the Six Invitational 2023.
Instead, G2 Esports' squad includes Roberto "Loira" Camargo and Alexandre "BlaZ" Thomas. This would see the two-time world champions adding a third Brazilian member to their Siege squad and the return of the Frenchman to Europe following his brief path in the MENA League under Geekay Esports.
Team Secret
Team Secret's roster for the Esports World Cup European Open Qualifiers doesn't include the Brazilian Luiz "Miracle" Abrantes, who seems to have been replaced by the previously mentioned Jake " Virtue" Grannan.
Wolves Esports
The only addition to Wolves Esports' roster for the Esports World Cup Open Qualifiers has been Lasmooo, who has spent the last six months competing for Make Your Destiny. He could be Bastien "BiBooAF" Dulac's replacement, who was allowed to explore his options.
Brazil (last update June 13)
Brazil's only confirmed roster changes so far have been the departures of Murilo "Muzi" Ripoli from Ninjas in Pyjamas and E1 Sports' decision to drop their coaching team.
Out of all Brazil's top-flight teams, only Team Liquid and Fluxo have registered the same players that participated in the first split of the season. Meanwhile, MIBR and Ninjas in Pyjamas have yet to register themselves to compete in the open qualifiers.
Here's a look at all of the changes and absences that we could get from FACEIT's registration portal:
Black Dragons
Black Dragons' only absence is Roberto "Loira" Camargo as he will compete in the European open qualifiers under G2 Esports. Unfortunately, the team has yet to add a fifth player to the squad's FACEIT page.
FaZe Clan
While there are no reasons that lead us to think about the possibility of the Six Invitational 2024 grand finalists making a roster change, especially after going unbeaten in Brazil and being eliminated in Manchester by the eventual champions, the absence of Eduardo "KDS" Chiste must be mentioned.
Keyd Stars
Keyd Stars' registered roster to compete in Brazil's Esports World Cup open qualifiers sees the absence of Victor "Hornetao" Lopes and the addition of the former FURIA Esports and current Team Secret player Luiz "Miracle" Abrantes.
w7m esports
Just like FaZe Clan, w7m esports has only registered four of the team's five players that competed in the Brazil League 2024 Stage 1. The Bulls' only absence is Gabriel "volpz" Fernandes, who returned to the team following his stay in Team Liquid during Year 8.
LOS
Surprisingly, the North America League 2024 Stage 1 roster of LOS will compete in Brazil's Esports World Cup open qualifiers. However, the squad includes two new faces who seem to be replacing Renato "rhZ" Luiz and Victor "Bersa" Hugo.
The most notable addition to the squad is the arrival of Gustavo "Wizard" Gomes, who joined Ninjas in Pyjamas in June 2022. The BLAST R6 Major Manchester-bound Arthur "Ar7hr" Arantes completes the list after an outstanding first stage for E1 Sports.
E1 Sports
So far, E1 Sports only registered four players to compete in the Esports World Cup Brazil Open Qualifiers. Therefore, fans must expect at least one more incorporation.
The previously mentioned Arthur "Ar7hr" Arantes and Guilherme "Empptz" Goulart are E1 Sports' absences. Meanwhile, the E1 Sports Academy player Cacah seems to have been promoted to the team's main squad.
North America (last update June 13)
While M80, Soniqs, Wildcard Gaming, and Cloud9 Beastcoast have registered their rosters with no changes, Spacestation Gaming, Oxygen Esports, and Luminosity Gaming have modified their squads.
Spacestation Gaming
After completing the first stage with David "iconic" Ifidon, who signed from M80, Spacestation Gaming seems to be making one roster change. Apparently, the Americans will compete in the Esports World Cup Open Qualifiers with G2 Esports player Benjamin "Benjamaster" Dereli.
Oxygen Esports
Oxygen Esports unveiled recently the departure of Mitch "Dream" Malson. However, the team has yet to announce who will replace the American.
Heading to the Esports World Cup Online Qualifiers, Oxygen Esports seems to have picked Luminosity Gaming's player James "Hat" Hatfield.
Luminosity Gaming
Last but not least, the previously mentioned James "Hat" Hatfield has been replaced with the addition of Damian "Surf" Medina.
MENA (last update June 13)
The MENA Esports World Cup open qualifiers only include two top-flight rosters in Twisted Minds and ROC Esports. Unfortunately, both Team Falcons and Geekay Esports are yet to be registered.
Twisted Minds
Twisted Minds' roster to compete in the Esports World Cup open qualifier is interesting, to say the least. The roster includes at least two new players, and both of them are imports.
The most notable name on the squad is Alex "SlebbeN" Nordlund, who previously competed for Soniqs and Team Secret, among others. The European Tier 3 player Jaiilo is the second import and has previously competed in the already-extinct Spain Nationals and multiple off-season tournaments.
Unfortunately, by the time this article is published, no teams from Oceania, Asia, LATAM, Japan, and South Korea have made important roster changes to mention. However, we will update each region as soon as more information is released heading to the Esports World Cup Open Qualifiers.