Xtreme Gaming Withdraws From the PGL Arlington Major

Xtreme Gaming has withdrawn from the upcoming PGL Arlington Major after carry player Lou "lou" Zhen was denied a visa to the United States (US) for the third time. Although the Chinese organization could possibly still attend the event using a stand-in, it decided to withdraw altogether due to the return home to China in a pandemic situation and the number of points it could earn there. Before this withdrawal, Xtreme Gaming ranked quite low in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 rankings and ideally needed a win in the Major in order to receive a direct invite to The International 11 (TI11).

Xtreme Gaming withdraws from the Arlington Major after carry lou has his visa denied for the third time

Xtreme Gaming stated that it had done its best, but Lou had been refused a visa to the United States for the third time, and that after much deliberation, the team had decided to relinquish its Arlington Major seat. Xtreme Gaming said that it would now concentrate on the TI11 regional qualifier.

Since the ongoing pandemic has made travel difficult in the last year, Chinese teams in particular encountered difficulties returning home after competing in international competitions such as the WePlay AniMajor and TI10. When paired with the fact that Xtreme Gaming's prospects of receiving a direct invite to TI11 were contingent on the team essentially winning the Major, the organization decided to skip the tournament and instead focus on the regional qualifier.

The squad thanked their supporters and hoped to play well in the upcoming events.

As it stands, Xtreme Gaming has had a difficult season in terms of participating in international competitions. After Tour 2 of the DPC 2021-22, the team qualified for the Stockholm Major, but due to lockdown limitations, all four teams had to compete against themselves in the Chinese Regional Finals. After qualifying for the Arington Major, the squad had further travel challenges.

With regards to travelling to the PGL Arlington Major, which is slated to take place from 4th to 14 August, certain other teams, like Royal Never Give Up, Entity, and Talon Esports, have apparently also been experiencing difficulties. Furthermore, PGL tweeted on 26th July that Fnatic will be permitted to compete in the Arlington Major with three replacements due to issues with obtaining US visas for its players.

The Arlington Major is the final tournament of the DPC 2021-22, where teams will be able to collect points. As such, following the tournament's conclusion, the 12 teams who shall have receive a straight invitation to T11 will be determined. Thus far, Thunder Awaken, PSG.LGD, OG, and TSM have mathematically guaranteed themselves the invite.