Gambit are forced to skip the closed qualifier for ESL One Cologne, Danylo "Zeus" Teslenko has announced.

On social media, the Ukrainian veteran cited "scheduling errors" as the reason for his team to skip the qualifier, to which they had been invited. Danylo "⁠Zeus⁠" Teslenko's posts on Twitter and Facebook announcing the decision have since been deleted.

ESL's decision not to invite Gambit, who are currently ranked 9th in the world, was met with surprise by many, with Zeus reminding that his team have not attended an ESL event since the 2016 Cologne Major.

Zeus blames scheduling issues for his team's withdrawal from the qualifier

The closed qualifier for ESL One Cologne will run from May 21-22, with 12 teams fighting for two spots in the $250,000 competition.

ESL has not yet stated what will happen with Gambit's spot. As one of the higher seeds, the Kazakhstani team would be able to skip the first round and go straight into the quarter-finals.