The region has been having trouble with their visa applications...
The VCS Will Attend Worlds 2022 After All
Both teams from the VCS have been facing troubles getting the documents needed to attend Worlds 2022. After a long-fought battle, it looks to be going the right way for our Vietnamese teams.
The League of Legends World Championship is getting closer every day, and we are excited to see things getting back to normal after a long period of Covid-19 restrictions. The VCS has had to sit out on several international events for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country adopted stringent travel restrictions, keeping the VCS representatives away from international contention.
- Related: LoL Worlds 2022 Format Explained
It wasn't before MSI 2022 that the Vietnamese representatives could attend the international competition, though not with their top team. GAM Esports won the VCS Spring Split 2022 and thereby qualified for MSI in Busan, South Korea. But despite being qualified, the team chose to rather compete at the Southeast Asian Games, which were happening at the same time as MSI. Therefore, VCS sent their second-place team Saigon Buffalo to represent their region at MSI instead. Sadly for the VCS representatives, they did not get further than the Rumble Stage, where they finished 2-8.
Saigon Buffalo Encounters Issues with Visa Application
Though, this year, other issues might come in the way for the Vietnamese representatives, as the two attending teams are having trouble with their visas. The two VCS teams that qualified for Worlds 2022 are their Summer Split second-place team, Saigon Buffalo, and first-place team GAM Esports.
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For Saigon Buffalo, several statements from the team's social executive have been released, explaining the team's current visa situation. On September 17, it was confirmed that Hasmed (Top), Taki (Support), and Richard (Mid/Sub) got their visas accepted. In contrast, their other teammates, BeanJ (Jungle), Froggy (Mid), and Shogun (AD Carry), had their visa applications rejected.
Additionally, the team's head coach, Ren, could not attend his visa interview at the embassy in Hanoi because of the national holiday in Mexico during the time of his application. Even though over half of the team got their first application rejected, Saigon Buffalo has not given up hope and will go on their second round of interviews scheduled for this week.
GAM Esports Faces Similar Problems
Also, the top VCS team GAM Esports has had some issues regarding their Visa application. However, despite the current issues, the LoL Esport Media Center released an official statement, saying they have faith that the first-place Vietnamese team will be able to attend Worlds 2022. This is what they said in their official statement:
We've been working with the government representatives on VCS visa applications, and we remain hopeful that the VCS champion team, GAM, will be able to participate in Worlds this year.
On September 19, GAM Esport came out with an official statement on their Facebook page, later translated on Reddit, explaining the current situation.
In the Facebook post, we are reassured, once again, that GAM Esports' visa process is heading in the right direction.
We also get an impression of how it is going with the whole team. Four of the team's players just finished their visa interviews, and we are told it ended on a good note.
In addition, the two final members had to submit additional information and will have their interviews this week. GAM Esports assumes they will have the players' final visa status on September 23, this Friday.
Several Members of GAM Esports Receive US Visa
[Update September 21, 2022]
On September 21, GAM Esports came out on their official Twitter with the good news that six of eight team members had finally received their US Visa and are now ready to attend Worlds 2022. As we were told that the final visa status will come out on September 23, we wait and hope that also the final teammates will have their vIsa applications accepted.
All Members of GAM Esports Will Attend Worlds 2022
[Update September 27, 2022]
After many hurdles, GAM Esports finally have 8/8 team members with their visa application, and they are ready to hit the main stage for groups. GAM Esports announced the good news on their official Twitter on September 27.
One Player Left on Saigon Buffalo
[Update September 22, 2022]
On September 22, one day after GAM Esports came out with the good news, the VCS second-place team had some good news of their own. According to a recent post on their official Twitter page, only one player remains to get his US Visa for Saigon Buffalo to have their complete roster for Worlds 2022. Currently, their mid laner, Froggy, and their head coach, Ren, are remaining.
All Members of Saigon Buffalo Will Attend Worlds 2022
[Update September 27, 2022]
It looks like things are going the right way for VCS, as also Saigon Buffalo confirmed all players are good to go to travel for Play-Ins. The whole team, besides Ren and Froggy, are now traveling to Mexico City where they will compete for a spot in Groups. Due to passport issues, Froggy and Ren will travel tomorrow morning.
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After a long battle, it is good to see that it is finally working out for the region and that they will be able to compete at the world stage in 2022. So which team will you be rooting for this year?
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