Visa issues continue to plague yet another Dota 2 competition, with Xtreme Gaming officially withdrawing from the PGL Arling Dota Pro Circuit Major due to one player having their applications declined multiple times.
Instead of opting to compete with a stand-in, the team have decided to skip the event entirely, removing themselves from contention for a direct invite to The International 2022.
This would have been the first Major for Xtreme as an organization since China was forced to host a second Regional Final replacement event due to being unable to travel to the ESL One Stockholm Major at the end of the Spring Tour for several reasons.
It is a disappointing end to a relatively strong season from Xtreme in their first season together as a cobbled-together unit of mostly Chinese veterans. It is also removing a potential contender from the Major, further adding to the last-minute changes before the finale of the 2022 DPC regular season.
Previously, Fnatic announced that it would be attending the event and competing with three Valve-approved stand-ins due to visa issues. Entity also announced that it would likely end up playing with TSM’s Timado as a stand-in for Pure as the controversial Russian player may have his visa denied.
It is very likely that several other players will be unable to attend the event for various reasons, including more visa issues. This could involve other Chinese and Southeast Asian teams, along with individual players from European teams who have yet to discuss their travel situations.
The Arlington Major will run from Aug. 4 to 14, so any additional visa issues or last-minute stand-ins should be shared in the next week as teams make their way to Texas.
