Fnatic To Replace Virtus.pro At IEM Dallas 2023

The Russian side will not be able to fly to the United States for the competition as some of their players were denied entry to the country

In the wake of visa complications faced by several of their players, Virtus.pro have decided to withdraw from IEM Dallas 2023. The organizers have confirmed that Fnatic will replace the Russians in the competition, who received an invitation for their fourth-placed finish in the closed qualifiers.

pic.twitter.com/P5nQf88wBY

— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) May 17, 2023

#IEM Dallas update 2:

Due to @virtuspro being unable to attend the event, the next eligible team @FNATIC will be replacing them after finishing 4th in the European closed qualifier. pic.twitter.com/s301hhrGGa

— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) May 17, 2023

As outlined by the ESL regulations, in the event of a team's withdrawal from the tournament following the qualifier stage but before the replacement deadline, the subsequent team in the bracket will receive an invitation. In the current scenario, the American outfit secured the fourth-place position in the closed qualifier, trailing behind OG, Cloud9, and Astralis — all of whom have already received invitations or qualified for the competition.

In the event of a team dropping out before the initiation of the closed qualifier, the invite would have been extended to the next eligible team from the region based on their position in the ESL World Ranking.