eSports

Tottenham footballer Dele Alli enters into long-term partnership with British esports team EXCEL ESPORTS

Published

5 years ago

November 20, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dele becomes an integral part of the leading British competitive gaming culture brand; helping to bridge the gap between sports, gaming and esports, the long-term partnership will connect Dele’s passion for gaming, Fortnite prowess and experience of competing at the highest level in sport to support the team

EXCEL ESPORTS, the leading British competitive gaming culture brand, with teams participating in the two biggest global competitive video games, Fortnite and League of Legends, has today announced that Tottenham Hotspur footballer, and gaming enthusiast Dele Alli has signed a long-term partnership with the team to become its first ever global ambassador. Dele’s role follows EXCEL’s recent brand update and the team’s vision of The Power of Better, it’s commitment to improve in everything it does that starts with performance. The holistic partnership unites EXCEL’s and Dele’s shared values including the importance of performance, their passion for gaming and looks to further bridge the gap between sports and competitive gaming.

Dele’s enthusiasm for gaming, notably Fortnite, is widely known amongst his fans and he considers it his biggest passion outside of football; often using it to unwind and relax when he is not training or competing. Dele, who is an ambassador for EXCEL’s Official Peripherals Partner HyperX, has previously taken his love for gaming onto the football field, celebrating his goals by performing popular Fortnite dances for Tottenham. He has more than 130,000 followers on Twitch and also took part in the charity esports series Gaming Without Borders earlier this year, raising $1.5M for Covid-19 charities.

Applying true meaning to the term “ambassador”, Dele will provide the teams roster of talent with the opportunity to benefit from his experience and knowledge of being an elite athlete to further develop their own psychological skill set, including how to deal with pressure better, overcoming challenges to perform at their highest ability and bouncing back from setbacks. It will also allow Dele to become fully immersed in EXCEL, providing him with the opportunity to understand how esports brands operate, further expand his knowledge of the industry and how to game competitively on all gaming platforms including PC.

Recently, EXCEL underwent a significant brand update where it unveiled a new ambitious manifesto and vision of The Power of Better that saw it incorporate purpose into its brand identity to help improve the gaming and esports industry. This included an updated visual identity, including a new logo, as well as the unveiling of the first edition of its Gaming for Better whitepaper series, that provides advice on how to improve individual performance and become healthier by focusing on physical activity, lifestyle balance, and creating positive habits. Earlier this year, EXCEL also signed BT as its lead partner and unveiled a new leadership team with Wouter Sleijffers joining as CEO and Robin McCammon, the former Director of Global Sports Marketing at adidas, joining as CCO.

“Everyone who knows me knows my biggest passion outside of football is gaming and after becoming increasingly involved in the industry over the past few years, it seemed like joining forces with an esports team was a natural step for me to take. What drew me to EXCEL was the fact it’s the biggest British esports brand in the country and competes at the top level of esports but as well as this, I love the fact the brand was born out of a passion for gaming and the values it upholds. My knowledge of being a competitive athlete is something I believe can really benefit EXCEL’s roster of talent as they continue to strive to be better every single day but I’ll also be looking to further my own knowledge and understanding of this truly exciting industry”, said EXCEL ESPORTS ambassador Dele.

“EXCEL ESPORTS competes at the highest level of gaming competition. Following the recent launch of the new EXCEL and our vision in The Power of Better, we’ve been looking for a person who’s our own inspiration in getting the best out of ourselves. Therefore, we’re very pleased that Dele is coming on board to support us in our new, purpose led journey. Dele knows better than anyone what it means to reach and stay at the top and also exhibits true passion and professionalism that is so prevalent in our own competitions. We look forward to working with Dele to develop our talent, utilise his advice and skill set to guide EXCEL forward and help us ensure we aren’t being complacent with our new ambition”, said EXCEL ESPORTS CEO Wouter Sleijffers.

Brazilian Carnival

Esportes da Sorte transforms Carnival 2026 into a nationwide immersive experience

Published

5 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

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

Published

5 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

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

Published

6 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

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.

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