eSports
Indian Olympic Association felicitates Bronze Medallist contingent of Dota 2
The Indian Esports contingent was in attendance with the mainstream sports athletes that were rewarded for bringing laurels to the country at Commonwealth Games
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) felicitated Team India’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games medal winners at The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, on the evening of August 13. All bronze medallists of the Indian DOTA 2 team – Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubham Goli, and Vishal Vernekar were presented with the appreciation memento in a felicitation ceremony for their exceptional accomplishment at the recently concluded Commonwealth Esports Championship.
Several dignitaries, including IOA Acting President Mr. Anil Khanna, General Secretary Mr. Rajeev Mehta, Treasurer Mr. Anandeshwar Pandey, Team India’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Chef de Mission Mr. Rajesh Bhandari, General Team Manager Mr. Maninder Pal Singh, and former IOA president Mr N. Ramachandran, graced the occasion and felicitated the medallists.
This was the very first time that an Indian Esports contingent had been invited to the felicitation ceremony along with the other mainstream sports medallists.
“It is an unforgettable day for the rest of the team and me. To have the opportunity to be here with the other medallists from various sports and get awarded by the Indian Olympic Association for a medal in Esports is a very special achievement. All of the efforts that we took throughout our journey have finally started to bear fruits, with this being just the beginning. We are going to go with twice the energy and motivation into the Asian Games to do even better for the country.” said a proud Moin Ejaz, captain of the Indian DOTA 2 Team.
The Indian contingent met with renowned sports personalities such as Harmanpreet Kaur (Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain), Bhavina Patel & Sonalben Manubhai Patel (Para TT Player) and Deepak Punia (Indian wrestler) and enlightened them about Esports as well as the basics of DOTA 2, the video game in which they clinched the bronze medal. The contingent also conveyed that Esports will be a proper medal event at the upcoming Asian Games 2022.
“Finally, Indian Esports has found a place on par with the other sports in the country. To be recognised by the IOA for the DOTA 2 contingent’s achievement amongst the country’s finest athletes feels like a cherry on top of the cake of winning the bronze medal. The trajectory of Esports in India has seen its fair share of highs and lows, but with the Asian Games coming up, the only way seems to be upwards from here. The expectations are undoubtedly high now because of the bar that has been set, but we have complete faith in our Esports athletes to transition this form in the upcoming international competitions and make the country proud.”, said Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation.
The IOA officials congratulated the DOTA 2 team on their historic bronze medal, which the ESFI believes is a testament to the relevance of the Commonwealth Games given the rise in popularity esports in India is expected to witness following the national team’s medal-winning feat in the inaugural edition of the Commonwealth Esports Championship.
One of the country’s top sports and Esports specialised communication firms, Artsmith – Concepts & Visions, India’s Leading Multiplex chain INOX and Leading sports psychologist org Mandeha continue their support as the communication, multiplex & sports psychologist partners of ESFI, respectively.
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BETER
BETER dominates ICE Barcelona 2026 with prestigious double esports award win
BETER, a Europe-based provider of live streams, live data, and odds for esports and sports, is celebrating a double award win at ICE Barcelona 2026.
The provider took home the trophy for Best Esports Innovation at the European iGaming Awards 2026 and Esports Innovator of the Year at the International Gaming Awards 2026.
The win marks the second consecutive year that BETER has topped the Esports Innovator category at the International Gaming Awards, driven by its commitment to evolving the iGaming industry with new formats of in-demand, fast-paced content.
BETER’s esports offering sets the standard for others to follow, consisting of its exclusive ESportsBattle tournaments. These tournaments deliver non-stop betting action across popular titles, including eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and eTennis, with more than 500,000 events scheduled annually.
Underlining the provider’s commitment to transparency, ESportsBattle recently received the ESIC Gold Standard Accreditation, further establishing BETER as one of the most trusted names in high-frequency content.
Operators can also take advantage of BETER’s Esports Odds Feed, delivering market-leading odds with the highest uptime across more than 450 tournaments globally, covering 40,000+ pre-match and live events annually, all powered by a team of in-house expert traders.
The awards follow a hugely successful period for BETER’s esports division, including the launch of eTennis, the first of its kind in the market, as well as the addition of the European Conference tournament to its eBasketball series.
BETER has also strengthened its position in the US market, where ESportsBattle is already live in New Jersey and Colorado with tier-one operator bet365. Internationally, the product was integrated by leading operators and aggregators, including Entain CCE and Meridianbet in 2025.
Securing two major award wins at ICE Barcelona is a testament to the quality of BETER’s market-leading fast-betting product suite, as well as the dedication and professionalism of its team.
Vladyslav Vitrenko, Public Relations Lead at BETER, said: “Winning two major esports awards at ICE is a significant milestone for BETER and marks an incredibly strong start to the year.
“We have worked hard developing the best fast-betting products in the market, and this award is a testament to the effort put in by the team – effort that we continue to make to ensure more players than ever before can access our products.
“We are constantly developing new products while maintaining a strong public presence, openly showcasing our operations, integrity measures, and product updates to remain transparent and trustworthy for our operator partners and their players.
“The demand for fast-betting content will only continue to rise, and these awards further position BETER as the go-to provider on the market.”
The post BETER dominates ICE Barcelona 2026 with prestigious double esports award win appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
Esports World Cup 2026 Tickets on Sale Now
First wave of tickets includes Early Bird passes, premium experiences and special travel offers ahead of seven-week competition for a record-breaking $75 million prize pool
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) officially opened tickets sales for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), the world’s largest esports event, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 through August 23. The first wave of ticket options for fans is now live at esportsworldcup.com and through international ticketing partners Tixr (US and EU), Webook (Middle East and Saudi Arabia), Platinumlist (Middle East and India), and Damai (China), alongside special travel packages from Saudia Holidays available to first purchasers.
EWC 2026 will feature a record-breaking $75 million prize pool that reflects the evolution of the EWC as a premier sporting event and the anchor multi-title competition within the global esports ecosystem. Over 2,000 players representing more than 200 Clubs and over 100 countries will compete in Riyadh in the industry-leading cross-game Club Championship that is now a focal point of the esports calendar.
Limited-edition goodie bags for Weekly All-Access and Premium Tournament purchases contain a collector coin, trading card, aluminium water bottle, tote bag, T-shirt, fridge magnet, merch voucher, and a collectible pin.
Saudia Holidays, the travel division of Saudia Airlines, the Kingdom’s national carrier, now also offers an all-in-one Early Bird package to experience the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, including return flights, hand-picked hotels near the action, and a free All-Access Pass for the full duration of the stay, with one simple booking and no hidden fees.
Regular Tournament Passes and Daily Passes will be released in the next wave of sales.
The EWCF has officially confirmed the weekly schedule for EWC 2026, locking in seven weeks of world-class competition. Below is the schedule for each EWC tournament, sorted by week.
The post Esports World Cup 2026 Tickets on Sale Now appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
$75 Million Prize Pool, Full Game Lineup and Schedule Announced for Esports World Cup 2026
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a total prize pool of $75 million alongside the full game lineup and schedule for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), the world’s largest esports event, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 through August 23. More than 2000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries will compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games over seven weeks to crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion.
The record-breaking prize pool reflects the evolution of the EWC as a premier sporting event and the anchor multi-title competition within the global esports ecosystem. Delivered at scale for a third year through an established, cross-game format, the EWC brings together the world’s best players, Clubs, games and a global community of fans through a shared calendar that sets the rhythm of the global esports season.
“The life-changing prize pool exists to support the people at the heart of esports: the players and the Clubs that invest in them year after year. EWC is different because of the Club Championship. One title crowns a champion. EWC crowns the ultimate cross-game Club Champion,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
In 2026, the EWC Club Championship, the EWC’s flagship cross-game competition, will award $30 million to the top 24 Clubs, an increase of $3 million year-on-year. The winning Club will receive $7 million, with increased prize allocations distributed across the remaining top finishing positions. Last year’s Club Championship title was decided in the final week of competition, with seven Clubs remaining in contention entering the closing stages.
Individual Game Championships will each carry their own prize pools, with combined allocations exceeding $39 million. The remainder of the prize pool will be distributed through a combination of Club and Player Awards, including MVP awards for each tournament and the Jafonso Award for players or Clubs that win a Game Championship after advancing from a Last Chance Qualifier, as well as through qualifying events hosted by partnered publishers and organizers ahead of the EWC 2026 main event in Riyadh.
Alongside the prize pool, EWCF will continue to operate ecosystem support programs, including the EWCF Club Partner Program and the Road to EWC qualification system. The 2026 Club Partner Program will again support a lineup of 40 top global esports organizations, while publisher-led circuits, tournaments, and grassroots events provide the foundation for the Road to EWC, giving more players and Clubs defined qualification pathways to compete in Riyadh.
Twenty-four competitive titles, including new additions Fortnite and Trackmania, will showcase the best Clubs, players and talent the esports world has to offer on stage at EWC 2026 in Riyadh this summer. The EWC 2026 lineup of games features: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 26, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X, Trackmania, and VALORANT.
EWC 2026 competitions will be staged across seven weeks and multiple arenas, allowing several game championships to take place in parallel with a coordinated, multi-venue schedule designed to enhance fan experience and viewership across the lineup.
Tickets for EWC 2026 will be available at esportsworldcup.com, and through EWC 2026 international ticketing partners: Webook, Platinumlist, Damai, Maiseat, and Tixr. Early Bird tickets include Weekly Access Passes, Premium Tournament Passes, and Hospitality Packages for the Esports Embassy, the EWC’s premium on-site hospitality destination.
The announcement builds on the landmark success of the Esports World Cup 2025. In its second year, EWC reached 750 million viewers worldwide and generated 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of 7.98 million during the League of Legends at EWC ‘25 tournament. Coverage was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages. Twenty-five tournaments spanning 24 games featured more than 2000 players representing approximately 200 Clubs from over 100 countries. In Riyadh, the EWC and its Festival welcomed more than 3 million visitors over the seven-week event.
The post $75 Million Prize Pool, Full Game Lineup and Schedule Announced for Esports World Cup 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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