eSports
OMEGA LEAGUE announcement
The leading European teams, WePlay! Esports, and Epic Esports Events decided to build something special for the fans.
The leading European teams, WePlay! Esports, and Epic Esports Events decided to build something special for the fans. To bring the Dota 2 community an event that would provide the top level of competition, production, and content.
We are very happy to announce OMEGA League.
OMEGA League is an online tournament with a massive prize pool of $600,000 that will run from July 20th, 2020 (the beginning of the Open Qualifiers) until September 6th.It will include multiple competitive regions and divisions.
The English broadcast will be handled by WePlay! Esports, and RuHub will be in charge of its Russian counterpart. The teams will bring the best level of competition possible, alongside massive amounts of unique content to create a truly unforgettable experience.
WePlay! Pushka League Season 2 is postponed.
The suspension of the DPC has thrown our competitive scene into a sort of twilight zone populated by an array of small tournaments making it very taxing on players, and hard for fans to engage emotionally.
We decided to work together as a coalition of organizations, driven by our commitment to the fans, our love for this game, and the will to create a more sustainable competitive ecosystem around Dota 2. OMEGA LEAGUE is the first tournament coming from this partnership and everyone involved has poured their hearts into making it worthy of those mythical weeks in August.
We’ve found fantastic partners in Epic Esports Events and WePlay! Esports, both willing to commit to the higher level of integration that’s required to reach the quality fans have come to expect from Major-level tournaments. OMEGA League is our first large-scale initiative towards a more sustainable Dota 2 scene. Together we hope to breathe new life into the highest tiers of Dota 2 competition, and we can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been building.
We are excited about the future of the DPC, and we’re committed to supporting Valve and the rest of the ecosystem in their efforts to make competitive DotA better for fans, players, and partners alike.” – Alliance, Liquid, NAVI, Nigma, NIP, OG, Secret, and VP
“We are excited about the opportunity to work on interesting ideas and very curious about the reaction of the community. Our team and colleagues from Epic Esports Events are giving this event everything that we have. I really hope the audience will enjoy the results. The event takes place on the dates when we are used to seeing The International, and that impacts the level of responsibility we feel about OMEGA LEAGUE.” – Vitaliy “Nexius” Bozhko, Lead Esports Manager at WePlay! Esports.
“OMEGA League is a unique product. We are extremely thankful to the teams and our partners at WePlay! for working together on the vision of what an online event can and should be. We hope that this event will set the benchmark on the level of production and provide the fans many hours of premium content.” – Mark Averbukh, representative of Epic Esports Events.
League structure
The league is divided into two regions:
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Europe (includes CIS)
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Americas (North America and South America)
Europe format and prize pool
Immortal Division ($500,000)
Twelve teams will participate in the group stage of Immortal Division. They will be divided into two groups of six. Each group will see teams play each other in a BO3 series.
The two best teams from each group advance to Immortal Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1. The teams that take third place in their groups advance to Immortal Playoffs Lower-Bracket Round 1. The fourth and fifth place teams will enter the Play-in Stage to fight for two more Immortal Playoffs Lower-Bracket Round 1 seeds.
Immortal Playoffs is a double-elimination bracket. All matches are BO3, and Grand Finals are BO5.
Teams that lose in the Play-in Stage advance to Divine Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 2.
The teams that take sixth place in their group advance to Divine Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1.
Divine Division ($50,000)
Divine Division starts with two groups of six squads. Each group will see teams play each other in a BO3 series.
The teams that take first place in their group advance to Divine Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1. The teams that take second and third place in their group advance to Divine Playoffs Lower-Bracket Round 1.
Divine Playoffs is a double-elimination bracket. All matches are BO3, and Grand Finals are BO5.
The rest of the teams are eliminated from the tournament.
The group stage for the European region will take place on August 10 – 26. The Playoffs will be held on September 31 – August 5.
Americas format and prize pool
Divine Division ($31,500)
Ten teams will participate in the group stage of Divine Division. They will be divided into two groups of five. Each group will see teams play each other in a BO3 series.
The two best teams from each group advance to Divine Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1. The teams that take third and fourth place will enter the Play-in Stage to fight for two Divine Playoffs Lower-Bracket Round 1 seeds.
Divine Playoffs is a double-elimination bracket. All matches are BO3, and Grand Finals are BO5.
Teams that lose in the Play-in Stage advance to Ancient Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1.
The teams that take fifth place in their group advance to Ancient Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1.
The group stage for the Americas region will take place on August 17 – 26. The Playoffs will be held on August 28 – September 5.
Ancient Division (8,500)
Eight teams will participate in the group stage of Ancient Division. They will be divided into two groups of four. Each group will see teams play each other in a BO3 series. The two best teams from each group advance to Divine Playoffs Upper-Bracket Round 1.
Ancient Playoffs is a double-elimination bracket. All matches are BO3, and Grand Finals are BO5.
The rest of the teams are eliminated from the tournament.
OMEGA League Participants (Europe, Immortal Division)
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Team Secret
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Team Liquid
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Team Nigma
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Alliance
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OG
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Ninjas in Pyjamas
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NAVI
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Virtus.pro
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Evil Geniuses
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FlytoMoon
Closed Qualifier participants (Europe)
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HellRaisers
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Vikin.gg
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B8
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Team Empire
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Team Unique
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CyberLegacy
Details regarding the qualifiers will be announced soon.
Prize Pool Distribution
Europe Immortal Division:
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1st – $200,000
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2nd – $125,000
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3rd – $60,000
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4th – $30,000
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5th – $20,000
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6th – $20,000
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7th – $15,000
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8th – $15,000
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9th – $5,000 + a chance to win up to $10,000 in Divine Division
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10th – $5,000 + a chance to win up to $10,000 in Divine Division
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11th – $2,500 + a chance to win up to $10,000 in Divine Division
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12th – $2,500 + a chance to win up to $10,000 in Divine Division
Europe Divine Division:
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1st – $10,000
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2nd – $7,000
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3rd – $6,000
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4th – $5,000
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5th – $3,500
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6th – $3,500
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7th – $2,500
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8th – $2,500
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9th – $2,000
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10th – $2,000
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11th – $1,500
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12th – $1,500
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13th – $1 000
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14th – $1 000
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15th – $500
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16th – $500
Americas Divine Division:
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1st – $12,000
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2nd – $6,500
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3rd – $4,500
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4th – $3,500
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5th – $2,500
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6th – $2,500
Americas Ancient Division:
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1st – $2,200
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2nd – $1,600
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3rd – $1,200
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4th – $1,000
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5th – $750
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6th – $750
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7th – $500
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8th – $500
An additional $10,000 will be allocated in the form of gaming gear to Open Qualifier participants.
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Brazilian Carnival
Esportes da Sorte transforms Carnival 2026 into a nationwide immersive experience
Leading Brazilian iGaming company Esportes da Sorte has transformed Carnival 2026 into a nationwide immersive experience, activating urban art installations, hydration stations and large‑scale attractions across nine cities in Brazil. As part of its expanded cultural engagement strategy, the brand is serving as an official sponsor in key Carnival locations and delivering experiential initiatives designed for revelers in the streets and major public spaces.
Esportes da Sorte’s nationwide platform builds on its history of investing in popular culture and public events, moving beyond traditional branding to create meaningful on‑site activations that enhance the urban environment and respond to the unique character of each city’s Carnival celebrations.
In Rio de Janeiro, the company’s efforts focus on the street Carnival experience with hydration points, cool zones and shaded areas in high‑traffic celebration routes. São Paulo’s megabloc circuits feature water trucks, hydration stations and on‑site urban support.
In Recife Antigo, one of Carnival’s cultural centers, Esportes da Sorte installed a standout Ferris wheel at Marco Zero, offering panoramic views of the festivities and historic landscape. Urban transformations like video mapping on iconic buildings and aerial installations along Rua Marquês de Olinda further blend public space with the Carnival experience.
Other cities such as Olinda and Salvador also feature tailored activations, including sensory design, refreshment tunnels and themed artistic displays that align with local traditions and festival dynamics.
In addition to physical structures, the initiative includes a robust communications strategy, sensory activations, public well‑being supports and content campaigns that amplify the carnival‑street experience across digital and traditional media.
According to Germana Casal, Production Coordinator at the Esportes Gaming Brasil Group, the goal is to “be present in a meaningful way at the country’s biggest popular celebration,” respecting each city’s identity and delivering initiatives that improve the Carnival experience for participants.
Esportes da Sorte’s Carnival 2026 project builds on the brand’s presence at more than 100 Carnival parties and street blocos in 2025, reinforcing its leadership role in Brazil’s largest cultural event and deepening its connection with urban celebration culture nationwide.
The post Esportes da Sorte transforms Carnival 2026 into a nationwide immersive experience appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
chess esports
Team Vitality announces E.Leclerc as new Main Partner
Team Vitality, one of France’s leading esports organizations, has announced a strategic new partnership with French retail giant E.Leclerc, naming the supermarket chain as the club’s Main Partner for 2026.
Under the agreement, E.Leclerc’s logo will feature prominently on Team Vitality’s international team jerseys, including rosters for League of Legends (LEC and LFL), Valorant (VCT EMEA), Rocket League, Rising Bees and Chess.
Shared Values and Fan Initiatives
The partnership aims to promote accessibility, wellness, and nutrition within the esports community, while bringing gaming culture into E.Leclerc retail spaces through immersive experiences, tournaments and activations designed to engage fans across France.
Team Vitality’s holistic wellbeing program, KARE, which supports performance, nutrition and mental health, aligns closely with E.Leclerc’s focus on responsible lifestyle initiatives. Together, they plan to champion inclusivity, provide unique gaming opportunities, and celebrate esports culture in both digital and physical environments.
With a global audience exceeding 10 million followers, Team Vitality’s influence in competitive gaming makes this partnership a landmark moment for both brands. E.Leclerc’s commitment to youth engagement and cultural connection positions the retailer as a significant non‑endemic supporter of the growing esports ecosystem.
Nicolas Maurer, CEO and Co‑Founder of Team Vitality, described the alliance as a historic milestone that will broaden esports’ reach across everyday life in France and reinforce its cultural legitimacy.
The post Team Vitality announces E.Leclerc as new Main Partner appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI chatbot esports
G2 Esports and Theta Labs Launch AI Agent Sami
G2 Esports has partnered with Theta Labs to launch “Sami,” a next-generation AI agent designed to enhance fan engagement across multiple competitive esports titles.
The AI-powered assistant will provide G2’s global fanbase with instant access to match schedules, player stats, team rosters, tournament standings, and real-time competitive updates. Sami supports major titles including League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Call of Duty.
Accessible via the official G2 website and Discord starting February 17, Sami is built to deliver accurate, always-on responses to fan queries in natural language. From tournament updates to player performance metrics and G2-specific trivia, the AI agent reflects the organization’s unique brand voice and competitive culture.
AI-Powered Fan Engagement at Scale
Sami is trained and deployed using Theta EdgeCloud’s hybrid cloud-edge infrastructure, which integrates over 30,000 distributed edge nodes with cloud services from Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. The system delivers approximately 80 PetaFLOPS of GPU compute power, enabling real-time processing and analysis at significantly reduced costs compared to traditional centralized cloud platforms.
The AI infrastructure dynamically assigns workloads to high-performance GPUs, including NVIDIA A100 and H100 cloud GPUs, as well as RTX 3090 and 4090 desktop GPUs, optimizing performance and cost efficiency. This decentralized architecture allows G2 to scale fan engagement globally while maintaining low latency and high reliability.
Strengthening Esports AI Innovation
Theta Labs has rapidly expanded its presence in the esports industry, powering AI-driven fan experiences for organizations such as Cloud9, FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, NRG, Gen.G, Dignitas, 100 Thieves, Method, and Team Heretics.
According to Mitch Liu, CEO of Theta Labs, esports fans increasingly demand instant access to team data and competitive updates. AI agents like Sami enable organizations to provide 24/7 automated engagement while maintaining a unique community personality.
Sabrina Ratih, COO of G2 Esports, emphasized that Sami is more than a standard chatbot. Built to reflect G2’s playful and competitive tone, the AI assistant combines advanced machine learning with brand-driven communication to deliver both entertainment and functionality.
The Future of AI in Esports
The launch of Sami positions G2 Esports at the forefront of AI-driven fan engagement in competitive gaming. By leveraging decentralized GPU infrastructure and blockchain-powered cloud computing, the partnership with Theta Labs signals a broader industry shift toward scalable, cost-efficient AI solutions for esports organizations.
As AI integration becomes a competitive differentiator in esports, solutions like Sami are expected to redefine how teams interact with their global communities in real time.
The post G2 Esports and Theta Labs Launch AI Agent Sami appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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