The top teams from China will miss the Stockholm Major and play in the Regional Finals instead.
After tons of speculations, it is unfortunately confirmed that the teams from China will miss the ESL One Stockholm Major. Perfect World confirmed in an announcement today that the region will host a Regional Finals for the top 4 teams of CN DPC instead. The Tour 2 China Regional Finals will take place on May 6 - 8.
China teams will be absent from the Stockholm Major
The China DPC organizer, Perfect World announced that the China region will host a Regional Finals to replace their run at the Stockholm Major. Four teams that qualified for the Major: PSG.LGD, Xtreme Gaming, Team Aster, and Royal Never Give Up will not fly to Sweden and instead battle it out in the Regional Finals. The format of the tournament will likely follow the previous Regional Finals.
This news is unfortunate but it has been foreseen by the community. Since early April, Shanghai has been in a state of strict lockdown. The tough situation even led to the Tour 2 CN DPC having a slight delay. Due to the concerning state of the lockdown, there were speculations that suggested China's absence from the Stockholm Major. Recently, PSG.LGD revealed that its players are in quarantine and that they're not able to get a visa, which further confirms the speculations.
Although the official announcement from Perfect World did not give any explanations, the reason for the change of plans is likely because of the severe lockdown.
The state of Stockholm Major looks clouded
The passionate Dota 2 community has anticipated the 'next Dota 2 Major' for a long time. After the first Major was canceled due to COVID-19, the pressure to not disappoint this time around gets heavier. The whole Tour 2 DPC was a rocky season. The war in Ukraine affected the Eastern European (EEU) DPC leading the region to host a last-minute Playoffs. Now, the China region has confirmed that it will not attend the Stockholm Major.
We might not even see some EEU players in Stockholm themselves, as acquiring a Visa could be incredibly tough. This is even pointed out by OG's CEO, JMR Luna who stated, "Good luck to everyone trying to get a visa." He further added that the process is "very tricky".
With such little time on the EEU players' hands, some of them might not make it to the Stockholm Major stage. All scenarios aside, we hope to see the Stockholm Major run smoothly, despite all the inconveniences.
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