Bren Esports will not attend the VCT Masters Berlin event. The #1 seeded SEA VALORANT team failed to obtain the mandatory visas to Europe to leave the Philippines and compete in the international LAN tournament to be held from September 10-19.
Riot Games will only host the event with 15 teams, as Bren Esports has withdrawn from the tournament. The format of the tournament will be changed and Group D, where Bren Esports is placed, will be replaced with a double robin where the top two teams advance to the knockout stage. Bren Esports will receive 175 VCT points and prize money for qualifying for VCT Masters Berlin. Other groups in the competition will remain the same and will not be affected.
Travel restrictions in the Philippines have been tightened due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Delta variant. Alex Francois, head of competitive operations for VALORANT esports, said in an official statement that Riot is working to find a solution, working with relevant government agencies in the Philippines and Germany, but no solution has been found before the deadline.
"This was a difficult decision, we share the disappointment of our players and fans," said Francois. “Despite this setback, we are proud of Bren Esports' achievements at VCT so far and look forward to their participation in future events.”
Bren Esports wasn't the only SEA team to have travel issues, though. Khalish “d4v41” Rusidee, one of the players of Paper Rex, basically got his travel card to leave Malaysia at the last minute after sharing the problem on social media.
