With just two weeks to go before ESL One Raleigh 2025, several top-tier Dota 2 teams are struggling to confirm their final rosters for the event. Teams like PARIVISION, BetBoom, Team Falcons, and Team Liquid, regulars at major international tournaments, are currently facing delays, reportedly due to U.S. visa issues. For more Dota 2 news, click here.
Visa Challenges Cause Disruption
The North American location is a welcome return for local fans, but for many international teams, it’s proving a logistical hurdle. Most of these squads are composed of players who have not recently traveled to the United States and now require time-consuming visa approvals. The visa process for non-U.S. citizens can be notoriously slow, often resulting in player absences at past U.S.-based tournaments.
Even teams recently added to the lineup, such as AVULUS, who replaced NAVI Junior, are in a bind. With two players, Stormstormer and Ekki, leaving the team, AVULUS must urgently find stand-ins who already hold valid U.S. visas to fill their slots.
Teams Shuffling Priorities for ESL One Raleigh
In response to these challenges, several teams are shifting their focus away from other major events to prioritize ESL One Raleigh. For example, Team Falcons’ midlaner Malr1ne skipped DreamLeague Season 25 to work on his visa application, with SumaiL temporarily standing in. Similarly, Tundra’s Whitemon sat out FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 and was replaced by Fly.
Talon Esports went even further, choosing to skip the $1 million PGL Wallachia Season 3 entirely to focus on securing visas for Raleigh. Their withdrawal from other European tournaments highlights how significant this event is to Dota 2 teams.
Why ESL One Raleigh Matters
The stakes are high at ESL One Raleigh 2025. It’s one of the final two events offering ESL Pro Tour (EPT) points, which determine qualification for the prestigious Riyadh Masters. With a prize pool of $3 million, teams are going all-in to secure their place at what’s considered the biggest Dota 2 event of the year.
Will There Be Withdrawals?
Given the complex and often unpredictable visa approval process, it’s possible that some teams may be forced to withdraw. However, most are expected to compete using temporary substitutes, either players with existing U.S. visas or those already based in the country. While not ideal, it allows teams to remain in contention and potentially secure valuable EPT points.
As ESL One Raleigh 2025 approaches, all eyes are on how these visa challenges will shape the tournament landscape, and which teams can adapt in time.
