The girls at Imperial get another shot against the world’s best.
Imperial Fe will travel to Romania this week with the team replacing FURIA at PGL Cluj-Napoca, starting Feb. 14.
This will be Imperial Fe's second S-tier appearance in as many weeks after the squad took on the best in the world at IEM Katowice last week. Meanwhile, American squads just outside the top two in the region — such as MIBR and paiN — will embrace the chance to go ahead of FURIA in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
FURIA out of Cluj-Napoca due to Major visa concerns
PGL announced the replacement on Feb. 4, confirming FURIA was out of the event "despite initially accepting the invitation." PGL cited FURIA prioritizing a return home to secure visas and documents needed to attend the Austin Major in the U.S. later this year.
"This decision came unexpectedly for PGL, and we had to act quickly to find a team to replace FURIA," the organizer said, choosing to reach out to Imperial Fe who accepted the invite. Keen-eyed fans would have noticed Imperial Fe withdrawing from CCT Season 2, which clashes with the PGL tournament.
FURIA's exit means six of the top 10 teams in the world rankings will be absent in Cluj-Napoca. The event kicks off just days after the conclusion of IEM Katowice, with teams choosing a short break or other events instead.
For the Valkyries at Imperial Fe, it's another chance to take on the world's best CS2 squads on LAN. The all-female squad was the talk of the town as the season kicked off as their win at ESL Impact last year gave them enough VRS points to earn invites to top events in 2025.
They've shown promise, pushing FURIA to the limits at the IEM Katowice play-in last week before they were unceremoniously dumped out of the event by BIG. We're still waiting on the female squad to win their first series against the men.
But with Ana "ANa" Dumbravă preparing to suit up in front of a home crowd, a higher likelihood that Victoria "tory" Kazieva will be able to attend, and a few lower-ranked teams attending, there's every chance we may be celebrating Imperial Fe's first best-of-three win next week.
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FURIA risk VRS ranking drop with Romanian absence
FURIA opting out of PGL Cluj-Napoca is a risk given the team's immediate exit at IEM Katowice. As other American squads rack up the VRS points in Poland (and will do so in Cluj-Napoca too), FURIA will need to bounce back at their next event.
Otherwise, additional losses, plus the likes of fellow Brazilian teams MIBR and paiN attending big events, may see FURIA miss out on an invite to the BLAST Austin Major — the very event FURIA is skipping Cluj-Napoca for, in essence.
Imperial Fe's PGL Cluj-Napoca campaign kicks off Feb. 14 with the female team guaranteed at least three best-of-threes thanks to the Swiss format. For more CS2 news and coverage stay tuned to esports.gg!
