Lynn Vision banned from next Tier 1 ESL event for Pro League withdrawal

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 10/10/2025

Chinese number two team, Lynn Vision, have been banned from their next eligible Tier 1 ESL event following their withdrawal from ESL Pro League Season 22.

The sanction follows Visa issues, which prevented Lynn Vision from travelling to Stockholm for Pro League Season 22.

Why did Lynn Vision face punishment?

Visa complications are usually admissible by ESL’s ruleset as part of their ‘exceptional circumstances’ provisions as outlined in ESL’s rulebook, under section 2.14.1 ‘Withdrawing from the event’.

However, to qualify for exemptions due to Visa issues, teams must:

“Provide official documentation confirming that the visa was denied for reasons outside the participant’s control (e.g., not due to an incorrectly submitted or incomplete application).”

It is in that sense that Lynn Vision fell afoul of the rules, as their Visas had expired despite repeatedly affirming to ESL that they had the required documentation to travel.

ESL stated, “If unintentional, this oversight remains entirely unacceptable and does not fall under any of our exceptional circumstances (either medical emergency or visa complications).”

As issues within their control seemingly caused the Visa complications, Lynn Vision have been adjudged to be responsible for missing the tournament, and causing ESL to require a replacement at Pro League.

“For this reason, we have no choice but to impose a penalty on Lynn Vision, consisting of a ban from the next Tier 1 event for which they would have received a VRS invitation.”

The next possible ESL event Lynn Vision can qualify for is IEM Krakow 2026, the debut of the Polish IEM’s move from Katowice to Krakow’s larger Tauron Arena.

Virtus.pro escape ban

Virtus.pro escaped sanctions after being denied at the border, following issues regarding medical insurance in the Schengen area.

In Virtus.pro’s case, ESL were satisfied that the Russian organisation’s documents were in line with requirements, therefore, the decision was made that VP’s failure to attend was due to exceptional circumstances.

ESL noted, “We confirmed that all required travel documents were in order. However, two players were denied entry into Sweden, which qualifies as a visa complication under our exceptional circumstances clause. Therefore, no penalty will be applied.”

The team does not escape without cost, however, as “both teams [Lynn Vision & Virtus.pro] will be required to cover the costs associated with securing their replacements, in line with our standard practice.”

Certainly, there is no insinuation that Virtus.pro missed the event on purpose.

Missing the event was hugely consequential to not only Virtus.pro but also Fnatic, as it prevented the roster from earning VRS points at the last opportunity before the October 6th StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 invite cutoff.

VP missing the event opened up a pathway for the British organisation to qualify for the major.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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