Sources: Dignitas to field Mobility and Breezy in LCS Week 1 due to visa delays

In an interview conducted last week with Sheep Esports, Shopify Rebellion coach Tanner “Damonte” Damonte stated that six out of eight LCS rosters are currently dealing with visa-related issues. While Shopify’s mid laner Yoo “Zinie” Baek-jin arrived in the United States on Tuesday, Shopify had been forced to practice with a substitute until now. Other teams are facing stronger consequences.

Among them teams facing delays, Dignitas will be required to field two substitutes on stage to start the LCS season. For at least Week 1, the organization will start botlaner David “Mobility” Rigley and support Brindon “Breezy” Keesey, sources tell Sheep Esports. The duo is set to make its LCS debut against LYON, seven days from now. Both players previously played together for AOE Esports during the 2024 NACL season.

Despite only one prior LCS appearance, Breezy is a well-established name within the NACL scene. The former Supernova support will step in for Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun, despite having already been announced as a member of Conviction’s roster for the 2026 season.

Mobility, meanwhile, faces the difficult task of replacing multi-time LCS champion Victor “FBI” Huang. The botlaner spent nearly three years competing with Winthrop University, most recently during the 2025 NACL season.

FBI, who is coming from Australia, is expected to resolve his visa situation fairly soon, while IgNar’s process is anticipated to take longer.

Visa delays partly stem from slower U.S. immigration processing for foreign players entering the LCS. Compared to previous years, applications now take longer to review, with response times measured in business days rather than calendar days. This slowdown is further compounded by the high number of U.S. public holidays between the free agency period and the start of the season, significantly reducing the number of effective working days.

Another issue, affecting some Tier 2 players but not Dignitas specifically, is tied to the P-1 visa category, which requires applicants to be recognized as “internationally recognized.” For players whose careers have largely been limited to North American Tier 2 competition, meeting this threshold is more difficult. As a result, applications often require extensive supplementary documentation and are subject to discretionary interpretation by immigration officials, increasing the likelihood of requests for additional information and further delays.

For Tier 1 players, the process also includes additional logistical hurdles, such as the limited availability of mandatory consular appointments in players’ home countries, followed by further waiting periods to retrieve passports once visas are issued. Taken together, these factors have forced Dignitas, and could impact other LCS teams, to prepare substitute players for the opening week of competition.

According to Sheep Esports sources, at least two other LCS teams remain at risk of having to field substitute players for the first week of competition. As reported last week, LYON will start Niship “Dhokla” Doshi in the LCS, as Frankie “Zamudo” Lin has been unable to obtain a visa after more serious complications.