Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the ESL announced that it would not be letting Russian organisations and teams with connections to the Russian government compete in its events. This meant that Virtus.pro and Gambit could no longer compete in ESL events, but it did not mean that the organisation's players met the same fate, as it was also revealed that they could compete if they used a "neutral banner" that shared no ties to their former teams.
With the ESL Pro League actually in full swing now, the ESL has revealed that Virtus.pro's players will be competing in the event and that they will be doing so under the neutral name of "Outsiders" for the duration of the full season.
Outsiders will first compete next week on March 16 at 18:30 GMT / 19:30 CET. As for what the future holds for Gambit's players, the ESL also added that they are "still in discussion" and will update further in the future.
