Tournament organiser BLAST has announced that Argentine esports organisation BESTIA has been replaced by Legacy for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major.
The tournament organiser cited BESTIA‘s issues with acquiring a US visa as the reason why the Brazilian esports organisation will take its place.
UPDATE 22/05/25: Following the publication of this article, BLAST has since responded to Esports Insider with a statement. This can be found here.
Announced on May 21st, 2025, Legacy will begin its Counter-Strike Major campaign in the first stage, beginning on June 2nd. BLAST says the team was selected after finishing as runners-up to BESTIA in the single-elimination South American MRQ.
The Austin Major would’ve been the first time BESTIA has successfully qualified for a Major, after missing out on a place at the Perfect World Major in late 2024.
Legacy’s opening match of the Major will be against the Chinese organisation Lynn Vision.
BLAST Backlash
Following the announcement, BESTIA revealed that its players will have visas to enter the United States on May 26th. In a subsequent social media post, the organisation claims BLAST is ignoring its attempt to provide the appropriate documents.
After BLAST confirmed BESTIA won’t compete in Austin, Texas, several Counter-Strike players showed their support for the organisation.
“They will get visas on time and be able to travel. They deserve to be there, it’s so unfair,” said recent Team Falcons signing Ilya ‘M0NESY’ Osipov.
“Wait a bit please, it’s needed, they deserve [to play at the Major],” added Team Vitality player Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire.
Since the announcement was made, over 30 players and ten esports organisations have expressed support for BESTIA, which has cemented itself as one of the strongest teams within South America’s Counter-Strike scene.
At the beginning of 2025, the organisation achieved victory in Frost and Fire, defeating Legacy in the Grand Final, taking home the lion’s share of the $25,000 (~£18,659) prize pool.
