VCS 2021 Summer Split to be cancelled after long postponement

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, League’s competitive scene in Vietnam has struggled to shine on the international stage, as its representatives haven’t been able to take part in the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds since 2020, due to government restrictions.

While most of the leagues around the world have moved on with their schedules, currently holding their playoffs prior to Worlds 2021, the Vietnam Championship Series’ summer season has been stuck into a long postponement since mid-June, and it seems the worries of many of its followers will finally become a reality.

According to a recent report from Korean news outlet Naver Esports, the Vietnamese League of Legends’ league is set to announce the cancellation of its 2021 Summer Split.

This is due to the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam, where the number of infections and deaths have been increasing in the last few weeks, and its transportation and current access to different venues is very limited, along with Riot denying a license to hold an online competition for summer.

So even if the long-delayed VCS is played in a single round-robin format from now on, it would be difficult to keep up with the schedules of other regional leagues which finish between August and September.

Naver Esports has also shared something unexpected by revealing a current contract dispute between Riot Games and Garena, who are in charge of operating the Vietnamese league as the main publishers of the game in that region.

Details of the contract haven’t been disclosed, except that the agreement between Garena and Riot Games for the tournament will expire this summer. In case the two companies don’t re-sign, Riot Games will be in charge of operating the VCS directly from next year's Spring Split.

Even with the current dispute between them, they clarified both entities are currently discussing how to select their two representatives for Worlds 2021, by either one of two methods:

• Sending the top two teams from the Spring Split, GAM Esports and Saigon Buffalo, with their respective seedings.
• Host a regional qualifier between the top four teams from the Spring Split.

So far, Riot Games hasn’t made any official announcements, while all of VCS’ teams are still waiting for the final decision, as it will have a big impact on the development of the Vietnamese league, its revenue and the profits for all of its organizations.

• Read more: Riot confirms Akshan won't be available for Worlds 2021

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Header image via Riot Games.