Some of the teams that qualified for the PGL Arlington Major have experienced significant visa complications.

One of the four Chinese teams that was supposed to compete at the Major in the US was Xtreme Gaming, however the squad opted to withdraw after running into visa concerns and other possible logistical issues, according to a post made on their official Weibo page this morning.

Lou “lou” Zhen, the team’s carry player, was unable to leave the nation “despite all the efforts and attempts” with just one week till the Major, the organization reported.

The Dota Pro Circuit standings place Xtreme Gaming outside of the top 12, therefore they would have needed a top-3 finish in Arlington to qualify for The International 11 based on DPC points. As a result, the crew decided against traveling during a pandemic.

In an announcement by Xtreme Gaming:

*Xtreme Gaming’s announcement was made in a different dialect*

Xtreme Gaming’s announcement translates:

“We are regretful to inform all of you that despite our efforts and attempts, Lou’s “three-signature” (permit to leave the country) was rejected. 

After a long internal discussion with the team, and considering the DPC points format as well as the trouble of returning to China during the pandemic, we finally decided to forfeit our slot at the Major. We have decided to stay in China to focus on preparing for the TI pre-selection instead.

We apologize for not being able to showcase our team’s playstyle on the Major’s international stage, and we hate to disappoint the fans and friends who have been looking forward to our performance

Thank you for your continuous support. We will concentrate and strive to deliver a satisfactory performance in the upcoming competitions.”

The Arlington Major’s tournament director, PGL, has also released a formal statement on the team lineup following Xtreme Gaming’s withdrawal and declaration that no other team will take their place.

The Eastern Europe representatives, Mind Games, couldn’t get to Stockholm in time for the group stage matches at the last Major, which was a similar circumstance. The tournament format remained the same, and Mind Games’ seeded group saw just one team eliminated.

The PGL Arlington Major is scheduled to start on August 4th with 17 teams rather than 18, and there have been no recent updates about the group stage split.