Published by Leonardo Calcagno
2021 is back in action, and we are anticipating a lot of tournaments in the coming months. Let us take a look at these events and see the ones that are worth our time.
Global Final 2021
This is the championship finals for CS:GO that will happen between December 14 and 19. The prize pool is a whopping $1 million. The championship will kick off with global playoffs comprised of eight teams.
Here are the prizes in US dollars:
- 1st – $500,000
- 2nd – $250,000
- 3rd – $120,000
- 4th – $50,000
The known teams which would participate are Gambit Esports and Heroic. The six slots are still blank and shall be announced at a later date. Watch out for the fight, as this is certainly going to be big on websites offering live betting.
LCK Academy 2021 Summer Championship
League of Legends fans will have something to look forward to between October 30 and November 14. This is an eight-team competition that will culminate in the finals for the summer, specifically for the Korean Academy title.
The prize pool is not as lucrative as the first one, and here it goes in US dollars:
- 1st – $4,376
- 2nd – $2,626
- 3rd and 4th – $875
So far, only T1 Rookies are on the roster, and seven slots are still empty. League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is a regional tournament. What’s going to happen is October is the first of its kind, as it was only recently announced that LCK would franchise the 2021 season. The LCK is the fourth and last to adopt a franchise system, following China’s move to the same business model.
2021 PGL Major
This is the first major that will happen in Sweden for CS:GO. The prize pool is one of the biggest, as the best teams will split $2 million after the dust settles. This is one of a kind, as this is also the first major that will stream in 4K. As of the moment, PGL is in discussion with the Swedish authorities to host the games in Stockholm.
The plan is to fly all qualified players to Sweden. The organizers also want to entertain a massive crowd. Currently, Sweden has a limit of 300 participants in any event as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The PGL organizers are looking forward to having this restriction lifted sometime in September.
If this plan does not materialize, there is a backup plan. Two European countries have offered PGL guarantee to execute what PGL wants—flying the players to the venue and gathering a massive crowd. Whatever happens, eSport companies like GGBet will certainly be around to cover the games and do a live broadcast.
2021 The International
This event is the largest eSports event for this year. The pandemic forced the organizers to shut down last year, but it is all go-ahead in 2021.
The game is for DOTA 2, and the prize pool is predicted to hit $40 million! 18 teams will battle it out in the Valve-hosted event, and only the best will stand tall and mighty. The games are expected to commence in October.
Valve, the host, initially was in talks with Sweden, but Sweden rejected the event. Recently, Valve announced that the event would take place in Romania. What’s different in this event is that it will happen outdoors in the Arena Națională.
Normally, this arena is home to the biggest football matches in the country. This time around, it will host one of the biggest events in the history of eSports.
League of Legends World Championship 2021
One of the most anticipated events this year, the LoL championship, will happen in autumn for the 2021 season. Also known as the Worlds, this will conclude the season for the year.
Riot, the organizer, has not yet confirmed when this will happen, but the anticipation is that it will commence in September. The company will host the event in China again, and they will do it this time in Shenzen.
There is no news about the prize pool, but if history taught us any lesson, this is not going to be lesser than $7 million dollars.
Five cities will host the games. So, besides Shenzhen, the other four cities are Shanghai, Qingdao, Wuhan and Chengdu. The venue in Shenzhen can accommodate 60,000 people. The Worlds will have its finals in China for the third time. Originally, Riot wanted to do it in North America this year. The Worlds typically rotates every year. Most notably, the games happen in North America, Europe and Asia.
According to John Needham, the Global Head of Esports for Riot, the team is excited to move forward and push boundaries. This is in relation to their planned expansion in the next ten years.
Shenzhen, being the country’s most competitive city, houses thousands of startups. This is why the Riot management felt that it was just befitting to host the Finals in the city. The finals in Shenzhen will happen in Universiade Sports Centre, the same venue that is home to the Shenzhen FC football team.
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels