As COVID-19 continues to complicate travel and event planning, the Overwatch League will split teams into two regions for the 2021 season: West and East. Teams in the West Group will play in North America and Europe, while teams in the East Group will spend the season in China and Korea. Los Angeles Valiant is one of the teams in the East Group heading to China, but the team will be left behind in the move.

"We want to thank all the players and staff who will be traveling from the LA Valiant due to COVID related visa issues. We have worked to facilitate the best next steps available for our players and staff, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that they have the best possible experience."

Los Angeles Valiant is owned by Immortals Gaming Club, which recently denied rumors that the team had been purchased by a Chinese organization." IGC continues to own LA Valiant and we are excited about the opportunity to grow the global reach of the brand this year," the team said on January 14. The team is still owned by IGC.

According to Ari Segal, CEO of Immortals Gaming Clubs, both his organization and the Overwatch League have concluded that "it would be impossible to secure visas for (the team's) players to go to China."

"This is really not an option," Segal said in an interview with the Washington Post. 'Obviously it's a difficult situation. Obviously, people's lives are involved." [In a brief statement sent to PC Gamer, an OWL spokesperson said, "We recognize that teams had to make tough decisions to prepare for competition during a global pandemic." We will continue to work closely with each franchise as they finalize their plans."

The Post also reported that Valiant coach Michael "Packing 10" Szklanny will have a new role within the organization and that "several players" from Valiant's previous roster will go to other OWL teams.

According to the U.S. Embassy in China, "China currently allows foreigners with valid residence permits and visas to enter the country under certain conditions. These conditions include two COVID-19 tests (PCR NAT test and IgM antibody test) prior to departure, a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, and possibly further testing in China. However, this is after obtaining a valid visa in the first place, and the LA Variant states that this is where the problem lies.

Former Overwatch pro Scott Kennedy, now a desk analyst at OWL, expressed frustration with the move. Pls pick up these players, they don't deserve this," Kennedy wrote on Twitter.

Many OWL fans were also unhappy, expressing on Twitter that they felt the IGC used the visa issue as an excuse to dump the team's roster and rebuild as a Chinese organization.Valiant finished the 2020 regular season with a 12-10 record, playoffs, winning their first game against the Florida Mayhem before losing in double elimination.

Philadelphia Fusion and New York Excelsior are also in this year's East Group. Excelsior is currently training in South Korea and its active roster consists entirely of Korean players. Philadelphia Fusion announced its move to Seoul in December, and its roster includes players from South Korea, Denmark, Israel, France, and England.

You can read about the league's 2021 season structure on the OWL blog.