Valve Changes Regional Switch Rules — BCG Loses Its Major Invitation

Valve updates the VRS region-switching rules

After sashi brought the region-switch loophole into the open, the backlash across the community was so strong that Valve had to take the issue seriously. Beyond BCG's region switch, there was also a streamer from the CIS region who changed nationality in an attempt to lead WWtame to a sticker. They now probably hate sashi for it.

If a team appeared on the VRS list of any other region during the previous three calendar months, it is now no longer eligible to switch regions.

After several organizations switched from the European VRS to the Asian VRS to improve their chances of making the Major, Valve updated the CS Major Supplemental Rulebook.

The rulebook adds: “A roster is eligible for Regional Allocation only if it has not appeared on the VRS list of any other region during the previous three calendar months.”

In practice, this means any regional change a team makes will take three months to come into effect, closing off the possibility of a last-minute switch before the deadline to lock in Major eligibility, because the team would not be assigned to a region.

One point to note is that this change applies only to Major invitations, which means teams remain eligible to receive invitations to events outside the Major circuit.

When asked for comment by HLTV, Valve clarified that the change will apply to PGL Major Singapore 2026. Valve also confirmed that the change takes effect three months before Major invitations are issued, rather than three months before the Major begins.

The game developer also revealed that teams that switched regions before PGL Major Singapore 2026 have been ruled out of this Major campaign, unless "they proactively reach out and find a solution."