Will the VCS Participate at Worlds 2021?

Worlds 2019 GAM Fans
The last time we got to see Vietnam at an international event was back in 2019. | © Riot Games via Flickr

The 2021 World Championship is set to kick off in less than a month and some teams and regions are still fighting to even attend the event. Earlier this month it was announced that the LEC’s third seed, Rogue, had qualified automatically for the 2021 World Championship group stage, due to the VCS missing out on Worlds for the second year in a row, but the leadership of GAM Esports has other plans.

In a desperate attempt, the leadership of the most famous VCS team has called in Riot to try and get the two VCS representatives to participate at the 2021 World Championship in Iceland.

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Why Can’t VCS Teams Compete at Worlds 2021?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VCS teams chosen to represent the second-biggest Wildcard region are not able to apply for a Visa to enter Europe for the event. With COVID-19 cases rising in the country once more it seems like the region won’t be making it to Europe anytime soon.

It hasn’t just been international tournaments that have been affected by the pandemic in Vietnam, though. The VCS summer split also had to be put on hold due to the pandemic, with cases rising in Vietnam once more. This means that teams from the region haven’t played competitively since the spring split.

What is GAM’s Leadership Doing to Participate at Worlds 2021?

According to thethao.vn, the leadership of GAM Esports has been working with Riot Games in Singapore to try and get the VCS spring champions GAM Esports and the runner-ups Saigon Buffalo Esports to participate at the event in Europe.

They obtained an invitation letter from Riot Games, signed by John Needham, President of Global Esports at Riot Games. In the invitation letter, Riot also states that they will be taking on all expenses for the VCS representatives.

Riot and GAM Esports leadership are now in contact with the Icelandic government to see if there is anything that can be done for the Vietnamese representatives.

Will VCS Teams Participate at Worlds 2021?

VCS teams will probably not participate at Worlds 2021. Even though the GAM Esports management and Riot Games are working on it, time is running out. Teams would have to quarantine two weeks before the 2021 World Championship action starts, and that date is quickly approaching without any proper news.

Rogue has also already been promised their spot in the 2021 World Championship Group Stage, so it seems highly unlikely that these efforts by the VCS teams and Riot Games will wield any fruit.

The VCS teams also haven’t played any games in months, which sets them behind many of the other regions as well. One can scrim and practice as much as they want, but the pressure will still be completely different than that of an official match.

VCS players have already expressed their disappointment, and fans worry about the future of the region in total. Fans worry that VCS talent will move to other regions like the LPL or LCS instead of staying in Vietnam to pursue a career in esports.

We just hope that next year we get to see some 1000 IQ strats from VCS teams again. They were always one of the most exciting regions to watch and fan favorites to root for.

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Sabrina Ahn

Sabrina Ahn is the League of Legends and Riftfeed Lead. During her time at Concordia University in 2014 she fell in love with LoL and is playing it since – how she hasn't lost her sanity is still unclear....