FaZe Withdraws from ESL Pro League Match Due to Rule Violation!

FaZe Clan has withdrawn from their ESL Pro League Season 22 match against G2 due to ESL rule restrictions!

Just a few hours before their opening match, FaZe Clan announced that they would forfeit their series against G2. The decision reportedly stemmed from internal disagreements with ESL and uncertainty regarding which players were eligible to compete in the match.

Neither the tournament organizer nor FaZe have issued an official statement regarding the situation. However, shortly after the announcement, reports emerged that rain had been reinstated to the active roster in place of jcobbb.

The withdrawal came after FaZe decided to replace Håvard “rain” Nygaard with Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, which resulted in the team no longer meeting the required Valve Regional Standings (VRS) core roster rules.

FaZe’s Withdrawal Reason: VRS Core Violation

July 7th VRS Roster:

• 🇩🇰 Denmark – karrigan
• 🇸🇰 Slovakia – frozen
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine – s1mple
• 🇺🇸 USA – EliGE
• 🇳🇴 Norway – rain

Current Active Roster:

• 🇩🇰 Denmark – karrigan
• 🇸🇰 Slovakia – frozen
• 🇱🇻 Latvia – broky
• 🇵🇱 Poland – jcobbb
• 🇨🇦 Canada – Twistzz

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Relevant ESL Rules:

📜 ESL Pro Tour CS General Rules, Section 2.28:

“Teams invited through the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) must retain at least three of the five core players listed on the roster at the time of the invitation.”

📜 ESL Pro Tour CS Roster Restrictions, Section 2.4:

“When a participant first enters a qualifier, they must maintain the majority of that lineup until the main event concludes — covering all qualifiers and stages.
This rule prevents organizations from overhauling unsuccessful rosters in an attempt to re-enter the event.”

This restriction also applies to directly invited teams, whose roster at the time of the invitation is considered their “core roster.” Therefore, even invited teams are treated as if they had participated through qualifiers.