Image Credit: KRÜ Esports
KRÜ Esports has confirmed it will compete in its opening match of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas with a substitute lineup after visa issues prevented its main roster from travelling in time.
According to an official statement published by the organisation, delays in the visa process meant that KRÜ Esports’ starting roster was unable to enter the country ahead of its scheduled debut on January 16th.
VCT Americas is Riot Games’ top-tier VALORANT league for North, Central and South America, featuring partnered organisations competing for international qualification.
Visa Delays Impact Opening Match
In its announcement, KRÜ Esports explained that it had worked with the same visa agency it had previously used for VCT competitions and had met all required conditions within the expected timeframe. However, the organisation said it was asked to submit additional documentation for the first time, causing unexpected delays.
“This caused delays in the internal process, making it impossible to secure the timely entry of KRÜ VISA’s main roster into the country to compete on the first scheduled match day,” the statement said.
As a result, KRÜ Esports will field a mixed lineup consisting of three players and coaching staff from its academy team, KRÜ Spark, alongside two stand-in players.
The roster set to represent the organisation on January 16th is:
Juan Pablo ‘NagZ’ Lopez Miranda
Nicolás ‘MTA’ González
Benjamin ‘Beng’ Hidalgo
Philip ‘Infiltrator’ Nguyen
Peter ‘Governor’ No
The team will be coached by Bastián ‘bione’ Castro, Head Coach of KRÜ Spark, alongside Alex ‘Fadeout’ Argüello, its Assistant Coach.
KRÜ Esports Response
KRÜ Esports stated that it’s continuing to work with authorities to resolve the situation and expects its main roster to be available for future matches, regardless of the result against FURIA.
“We are currently continuing to work diligently and submitting all required documentation to resolve this situation and have our main roster available for upcoming matches,” the organisation added, noting that further updates would be shared in the coming days.
The development comes as KRÜ Esports looks to build momentum in VCT Americas following a mixed 2025 season. Last year, the organisation placed fourth at the VCT 2025: Americas Kickoff and finished fifth to sixth during Americas Stage 1, while also competing across several international and regional events.
Several players involved in the substitute lineup have recent experience at high-level competition. NagZ, MTA and Beng have all competed across the Latin America Challengers circuit, while Infiltrator and Governor previously featured in the Spotlight Series 2025: Americas, where they claimed first place.
KRÜ Esports concluded its statement by thanking fans for their continued support following the announcement of its new roster, adding that it remains eager to see the team compete in VCT Americas once the situation is resolved.
