In a new case of visa complications affecting esports, Brazilian team Legacy will replace Argentina’s BESTIA at the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major, following the latter’s impossibility to secure timely travel documentation for two of its players.
The announcement, made on Wednesday by tournament organiser BLAST, cited the ongoing visa challenges as the reason behind BESTIA’s withdrawal.
“We regret to announce that BESTIA will no longer be participating in the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major, as the team was unable to secure the required U.S. visas for a sufficient number of eligible players.” the statement read. “In their place, Legacy, the runner-up of the South American Major Regional Qualifier, will be stepping in to compete. We are pleased to confirm that Legacy has obtained all necessary travel documentation and will be attending the Austin Major.”
BESTIA had been awaiting visa approval for players Luciano “luchov” Herrera and Tomas “tomaszin” Corna. However, with only one emergency substitution permitted under Valve’s Major Supplemental Rulebook, the team would have had to violate tournament regulations by replacing both—an untenable position that forced the change.
Despite confirmation from BESTIA CEO Alejandro “Papo MC“ Lococo that visas might have been approved by the following Monday, it was too late. BLAST had already finalised Legacy’s inclusion in the Major.
Legacy had been active in North America recently, participating in online competitions and the IEM Dallas, and are thus already well-situated geographically for the Major. Their entry brings the total number of Brazilian teams at the Major to six, joining Imperial, Fluxo, paiN Gaming, FURIA, and MIBR.
The issue has once again highlighted the ongoing difficulties faced by esports players when competing in the United States, where securing timely visas has become an increasingly frequent hurdle for international teams. Brazilian teams FURIA and LOUD faced the same issue earlier this year at the VCT Americas, while the issue with CS2 Majors go way back: In a post on X, content creator Avi “Thour” highlighted that three out of four Majors held in the US had to deal with visa issues.
The Major begins for Legacy on 3 June, starting in Stage 1 versus Lynn Vision. The organisation also posted an announcement regretting BESTIA’s withdrawal and affirming it will “do everything to represent the region well”.
Austin will also host the inaugural Global Esports Industry Week (GEIW), hosted by The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), in collaboration with The Esports Radar and BLAST itself, set to take place during the Major from 18 to 22 June 2025.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this news noted that Legacy would be facing FlyQuest at its Major debut, but after ranking updates, its adversary turned to be Lynn Vision.
