9 Pandas Could Miss The Copenhagen Major Due To Visa Issues

The first CS2 Major is starting on March 17, and the 9 Pandas roster has yet to arrive in Copenhagen. The entire Russian roster has not made it to Denmark. 

On March 15, 9 Pandas captain seized tweeted an ambiguous “no way… i can’t believe”. Though it was unclear at first, with only two days left for the Major, fans were already beginning to speculate that the roster was facing visa issues and may not be able to attend the tournament. 

Just ten minutes after seized’s tweet, GamerLegion player Keoz also made a one-character post with the “flushed” emoji. The CS2 community was slowly piecing the puzzle together as GamerLegion was next in line following the placements of the Last Chance Qualifier.

Additionally, it was odd that the CS2 Major stickers were not released in the game yet. Fans were wondering why it was so delayed, considering the Pick ‘Ems were already available to all players. With all of these in mind, the situation was becoming pretty evident.

Shortly after, it was announced that only two players from the 9 Pandas roster had made it to Copenhagen, with the remaining going through visa issues. The 9 Pandas squad made it to the Major after going through hell in the Last Chance Qualifier, while GamerLegion finished second.

Since GamerLegion is second to 9 Pandas, tournament organizers PGL have called the team as a backup replacement if 9 Pandas could not make it. GamerLegion, being a team based in Europe, will easily make it to Copenhagen with no issues. If this were the case, the 9 Pandas stickers for this Major would be canceled and replaced with GamerLegion ones. 

There is a high chance that the GamerLegion players are already signing their autographs for their stickers if the worst were to happen. Since 9 Pandas’ first match is against AMKAL, GamerLegion would be placed into a matchup against the same opponents.

Though it is not the fault of the tournament organizers, fans are absolutely devastated, considering 9 Pandas had the most arduous journey to qualification. They were heartbroken after going 2-3 in the European Group A RMR and had to stay an additional week for the Last Chance Qualifier.

seized and the guys pulled off the impossible, eliminating Astralis from the Last Chance Qualifier after a stunning 2-0 victory. In the Finals, the series against GamerLegion was an exhausting three-mapper, with the Eastern European side winning the decider 13-11 to close the series 2-1. 

However, if GamerLegion gets bailed out and gets called to play at the Major, Danish AWPer acoR will have the chance to play in front of his home crowd, and we all love seeing Snax returning to a Major. 

With only a day until the start of the Opening Stage, 9 Pandas are praying that the entire roster will arrive in time.