eSports
Softgiving supports Cloud9, Dignitas, FlyQuest, and Immortals for Wash Yo Hands Tourney, an online charity stream benefiting the COVID-19 LA County Response Fund
Cloud9, Dignitas, Immortals Gaming Club, and FlyQuest, some of the world’s top-ranked esports organizations, are collaborating on an online tournament with the fundraising platform Softgiving to raise money for the California Community Foundation’s COVID-19 LA County Response Fund.
Four esports organizations launched the Wash Yo Hands Tourney on March 16th, featuring online competition between the organizations’ League of Legends teams, continuing through March 19 in a collective effort to both support local communities affected by COVID-19 and build awareness on how to prevent further spread. Each team faces off in a round-robin format featuring off-role positions for each player, and includes a ban list containing the 10 most competitive League of Legends champions. Every dollar donated will go toward community grants in Los Angeles with an initial focus on education, health, homelessness, and individual assistance. Fans can donate at WashYoHands.org
The upcoming Wash Yo Hands Tourney events will take place on nightly at 6PM PDT on Twitch and can be viewed at Twitch.tv/Dignitas, Twitch.tv/Cloud9, and Twitch.tv/Immortals
The four participating esports organizations and Softgiving hope the Wash Yo Hands Tourney will extend beyond the four-day tournament and continue as a long-term charitable initiative. All parties strongly encourage esports fans to continue using the power of streaming and gaming to raise funds for those affected by COVID-19 while also building awareness on how individuals can mitigate further spread.
The Wash Yo Hands Tourney will directly benefit the LA County Response Fund, which was launched by the California Community Foundation to address the immediate and emerging needs of their region’s most vulnerable residents — from mitigation to eventual recovery.
To support the Wash Yo Hands tourney, Softgiving provided donation tools and created a landing page where the streaming and gaming community can donate to the cause, track the total amount raised, and view recent and top donors.
“During these difficult times, we’re proud to make our fundraising platform available to esports organizations and their community to generate much-needed funding to mitigate the impact of COVID-19,” said Matt Pfaltzgraf, Founder & CEO of Softgiving. “We’re equally honored to support the critical relief services of the LA County Response Fund who are supporting the evolving needs of their diverse residents.”
To donate to the Wash Yo Hands Tourney, benefitting the LA County Response Fund and their efforts to combat COVID-19, individuals can go to www.WashYoHands.org and make a contribution or create a Softgiving campaign to join the event.
SOURCE Softgiving Inc.
amd
S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign
AMD Ryzen and Radeon hardware will be used across S8UL’s esports, streaming and creator workflows as the Indian org ramps up its EWC push.
S8UL has signed a strategic partnership with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) ahead of its Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 campaign, as the Indian esports and gaming content organization targets further international expansion.
Under the agreement, AMD will equip S8UL’s players and creators with AMD Ryzen
AI 400 Series processor-based PCs, AMD Ryzen
9000 Series processors, and AMD Radeon
RX 9000 Series graphics cards for gaming, streaming, content creation and general productivity.
The deal lands as S8UL prepares for EWC 2026 after being selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Partner Program for a second consecutive year. The organization said it has already secured qualification spots in Apex Legends, Chess, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, and Trackmania, while continuing to pursue additional slots in other titles. The partnership also follows S8UL onboarding Campa Energy as the Title Sponsor for its EWC 2026 campaign.
“S8UL has always focused on both competitive success and content creation. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup, AMD’s technology will support our players and creators across competition, streaming and content production. We’re excited to work together as we continue to grow our presence globally,” said Animesh ‘Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, S8UL.
“India’s gaming ecosystem is expanding beyond competition, with creators playing an increasingly important role in how communities connect and grow,” said Vinay Sinha, Managing Director, Sales, AMD India. “Organizations like S8UL are helping shape that evolution, and we’re excited to support their players and creators with AMD technology as they continue to engage gaming and creators’ communities in India and around the world.”
EWC 2026 is scheduled for July 6 to August 23, with the Esports World Cup organisers stating it will feature more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.
The post S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal
The Esports Awards and the Esports Foundation (EF) on June 18, 2026, announced a three-year extension of their partnership through 2028 and introduced a new player-voted honor, the EWC Players’ Choice Award. The announcement was made in London, with voting tied to Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris.
The EWC Players’ Choice Award will be decided exclusively by professional esports players. According to the announcement, competitors attending EWC 2026 will vote in person, while a secure digital voting platform hosted by the Esports Awards will allow participation from additional eligible players and clubs.
Eligibility requires players to have competed in at least one qualifying S, A or B-Tier tournament during the official competitive season. Players will not be able to vote for themselves or teammates, with the Esports Awards overseeing the process.
“The talent and innovation of our sector should be getting the exposure it deserves.,” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “The Esports Foundation has done an incredible job in generating mainstream attention, and industry exposure outside of the standard circuit. Our partnership has enabled us to expand our operations and footprint and it’s through our continued collaboration that I hope we can bring the Esports Awards to the global community, and provide the industry with better visibility all year round.”
The Esports Awards also confirmed its 2026 ceremony will take place in the United States, starting what it described as a rotating host city model featuring “previously unvisited destinations.” The event previously staged its 2024 awards ceremony and the 2025 Decade Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Esports World Cup program.
EWC 2026 is scheduled for Paris from July 06 through August 23, 2026, with more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries set to compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games. Voting for the EWC Players’ Choice Award will run from July 1 through August 18, 2026, with the winner to be revealed during the Esports Awards ceremony later this year. The Esports Awards said additional details about its 2026 event will be announced in the coming weeks.
The post Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
chess
ENC 2026 chess qualifiers wrap as 82 nations and territories make the field
The Esports Foundation (EF) has completed the online regional qualifiers for the Chess tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), scheduled to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-29, 2026.
EF said the 128-player chess field is now largely set. 64 players from 64 countries and territories received direct invitations via official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings at the end of May, while 61 players qualified through online regional events operated by Chess.com across North America, South America, Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East/India/Central Asia, and East Asia/Southeast Asia/Oceania.
A further slot was awarded to Amani Alazmi (Kuwait) via the Host Region Wildcard as the next highest-placing competitor from the host region. Two Wildcard Solidarity slots for underrepresented regions remain and will be announced at the end of August after all ENC qualifiers are completed. With qualifiers concluded, EF said at least 82 countries and territories will be represented in chess at ENC 2026.
EF highlighted that Jamaica, Paraguay, Singapore, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Turkmenistan each secured two qualifying slots despite not receiving a direct invitation. Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Jordan, Australia, and New Zealand secured one slot each.
The chess competition runs November 2-8. EF said the event will open with a round-robin group stage featuring 16 groups of eight players, before moving to a 64-player single-elimination playoff bracket. The full list of qualified players and nations is available on the ENC website’s chess page.
The post ENC 2026 chess qualifiers wrap as 82 nations and territories make the field appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Latest News7 days agoSportradar Report | World Cup 2026: Opportunities for the Latin American Sports Betting Market
-
Baltics7 days agoDigitain Named Best Sportsbook Provider at HIPTHER Baltic & Nordics Gaming Awards 2026
-
Asia6 days agoS8UL’s League of Legends roster qualifies to represent India at Asian Games 2026
-
DBET6 days agoHockeyAllsvenskan names DBET main partner in three-year deal from 2026/27
-
Blazing Flower7 days agoCT Interactive Strengthens its Presence in Romania with Newly Certified Games
-
Australia4 days agoFormer Star Entertainment Executives Mathias Bekier and Paula Martin Disqualified and Ordered to Pay Penalties
-
CFTC5 days agoNovig Secures CFTC Designation, Bringing the First Prediction Market Built for Sports Fans Nationwide
-
LatAm5 days agoInnovative payment solutions provider teams up with leading LATAM fintech platform to expand digital wallet access for online betting customers in Mexico



