Russian squad 9Pandas may have had their Counter-Strike 2 Major dreams crushed as the team is reportedly in doubt to make it to Denmark in time for the start of the PGL Copenhagen Major this weekend.
It is understood only two members of the 9Pandas team are in Denmark at this time as visa and travel issues are affecting the team, according to sources who spoke to HLTV on March 15. Organizer PGL declined to comment to HLTV, but it is believed GamerLegion—who 9Pandas defeated in the European RMR decider—is on standby to replace the Russian team.
The travel issues may also explain why the Major sticker capsules have been heavily delayed. The latest we had seen Major stickers available for Counter-Strike players was four days out from the start of the tournament, but we’re just over 24 hours away now and the capsules are nowhere to be seen despite leaks of the stickers earlier this week.
Should 9Pandas be unable to attend, Valve will need to sub out the team’s stickers with GamerLegion’s, although it appears this process has already begun. CS Dataminer Thour’s March 15 post revealed that GamerLegion’s SVG sticker file had been updated in today’s backend patch, with capsules set to be available for purchase later today. While this doesn’t confirm that GamerLegion is in, it’s clear Valve is ready to pull the trigger should 9Pandas be officially ruled out.
Worries over 9Panda’s travel status were all but confirmed after a post on X (formerly Twitter) from IGL Denis “seized” Kostin simply saying “No way… I can’t believe.” It has been six years since seized had attended a CS Major, and after today’s travel issues were revealed, it appears he will be made to wait even longer.
The 9Pandas project began in 2022 with seized helming the project but finally found a breakthrough at the Copenhagen Major EU RMR this year. A 2-3 record meant a spot in the last chance qualifier, where the team overcame both Astralis and GamerLegion to book their tickets to Copenhagen.
GamerLegion’s addition to the Major, if confirmed, will mean two members of the almighty Polish Virtus.pro roster of old will be in the Danish capital for CS2’s first Major, with Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski captaining GamerLegion while Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas is coaching the G2 lineup in the Elimination Stage.
Update, March 16 at 6:31am CT: 9Pandas have been ruled out from the PGL Copenhagen Major due to visa issues, the tournament organizer confirmed this morning. It is understood two 9Pandas players were yet to arrive in the Danish capital. GamerLegion has been called up to replace 9Pandas with their first match beginning tomorrow.
