eSports
G2, Team Liquid, NiP and more to compete in Home Ground by Red Bull this weekend!

· The final eight teams who will battle in the VALORANT invitational are locked as FrenzyGoKill secures a spot through open qualifiers, alongside special guest invited squad Monkey Business with a newly revealed roster.
· NiP will face Futbolist and G2 will take on FrenzyGoKill in day one match ups as the competition kicks off on January 28th on twitch.tv/redbull from 11:30am (GMT)
· The unique Home Ground by Red Bull format puts emphasis on map picks and bans, allowing for exciting upsets and unpredictable twists, whilst retaining the core VALORANT meta
Home Ground by Red Bull, in Partnership with AOC, a new VALORANT competition kicks off on Thursday, and will see Europe’s fiercest teams go head-to-head across four days, competing for £24,000, and to be crowned the inaugural Home Ground by Red Bull Champions. G2, Team Liquid, Guild Esports, SUMN FC, Futbolist, Ninjas in Pyjamas, FrenzyGoKill, and Monkey Business, will battle in a unique format where early map dominance is the key to success. Monkey Business and their newly revealed roster have been announced as the special guest invited team, and FrenzyGoKill secured the final spot in open qualifiers that took place last week.
Home Ground by Red Bull is the brand’s first pro VALORANT event, following the recent reveal of Red Bull Campus Clutch, a global VALORANT university competition which will see teams from more than 50 countries compete, marking the further evolution of the brand’s global work with Riot Games.
Ahead of Home Ground by Red Bull, special guest invited team Monkey Business has revealed their new VALORANT roster:
- Dylan “aKm” Bignet
- Benjamin “uNKOE” Chevasson
- Kevin “TviQ” Lindström
- Theo “OniBy” Tarlier
- Dragan “Elllement” Milanović
- Coach: Julien “daemoN” Ducros
Looking forward to the competition, the team said “Monkey Business got together quite a bit later than the other teams, we’ve been busy stacking bananas ahead of this important day. We’re looking forward to creating havoc among the top teams and producing great moments for the Valorant community. Please cheer for our monkeys during their first competitive appearance!.”
Schedule (beginning at 11:30 GMT/12:30 CET each day):
- January 28th – Quarterfinal 1
- A) NiP vs Futbolist
- B) G2 vs FrenzyGoKill
- January 29th: Quarterfinal 2
- C) Team Liquid vs Guild Esports
- D) SUMN FC vs Special Guest
- January 30th: Semifinal
- E) Winner of A vs Winner of B
- F) Winner of C vs Winner of D
- January 31st: Final
- G) Winner of E vs Winner of F
Format:
- The eight Home Ground by Red Bull teams will battle across a best-of-five, single-elimination bracket. Adding an additional layer of strategic depth to map picks, teams will select their strongest map as their “home ground” ahead of each match.
- Home Grounds get played first. If one team wins on both Home Grounds, they instantly win the 2-0 victory, and progress to the next round, meaning reverse sweeps are off the table and early game pressure is high.
- If both teams dominate their home grounds, the entire best-of-five is played to determine the winner.
- An explainer video can be seen here.
Broadcast talent:
- Host: Frankie Ward
- Casters:
-
- Lauren “Pansy” Scott
- Mike “hypoc” Robins
- Mitch “MitchMan” Mcbride
- James Banks
Streams:
- Home Ground by Red Bull will be broadcast in a series of languages for fans around the world:
- English – tv/redbull
- French – tv/redbullfr
- Turkish – tv/redbulltr
- French – tv/1pvalorant
- German – tv/agentsrange
- Spanish – tv/Giants
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eSports
PandaScore and Playbook Engineering join forces

Pioneering esports odds, data and betting products provider now available to operators powered by leading platform supplier with the integration facilitated by Sporting Solutions
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has integrated its suite of solutions with Playbook Engineering, the global sportsbook platform provider.
The partnership has been facilitated by Sporting Solutions, which has strategic partnerships with both PandaScore and Playbook Engineering.
Playbook Engineering has established itself as a leading sportsbook platform provider, supporting brands such as Star Sports, AK Bets, Priced Up, Bet Wright, Gentleman Jim, and Dragon Bet.
Following the integration, online sportsbooks powered by Playbook Engineering can access PandaScore’s Odds feed allowing them to offer comprehensive and competitive esports odds for some of the most popular disciplines.
The scope of markets and the value of odds are unrivalled with PandaScore using sophisticated models backed by a team of experienced traders including specialist traders for disciplines like CS2, Dota 2 and LoL.
A growing number of platform providers and operators are making a move into the lucrative esports betting space, with PandaScore recently surpassing €1bn of bets through its platform off the back of a sharp rise in demand among players and operators.
Joseph Noone, Senior Sales Manager at PandaScore, said: “Playbook Engineering powers some renowned sportsbooks as well as up and coming brands that are really making an impact.
“It’s great that these sportsbooks can access our esports odds, data and betting products, allowing them to engage new and existing player cohorts with a compelling esports offering that stands out when it comes to the range and value of odds.
“The integration wouldn’t have been possible without our shared partner Sporting Solutions, and stands as an example of what can be achieved when providers work together.”
Luke Cousins, Commercial Director at Playbook Engineering, added: “Sportsbook operators simply can’t ignore the demand for esports betting and in PandaScore, we have a premium odds, data and betting product provider that lives and breathes esports.
“This partnership, done through our mutual friends, Sporting Solutions, further positions Playbook Engineering as a tier-one platform provider to some of the most exciting sportsbook brands around the world. This makes it a win for us, our partners and their players.”
The post PandaScore and Playbook Engineering join forces appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Four Countries Shortlisted to Host GOTF 2027

Phygital International (PI), the exclusive rights holders and custodians of The Games of the Future (GOTF), announced that Brazil, Serbia, South Africa, and Uzbekistan are the shortlisted applicants to host GOTF 2027. The Games of the Future is the world’s leading phygital sports tournament, bringing together sports and esports athletes from around the world.
With the UAE set to host GOTF 2025 and Kazakhstan in 2026, the competition for the 2027 edition has drawn significant interest from nations eager to position themselves as leaders in the world of phygital sports.
Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International, said: “We received bids from right around the world which highlights the growing awareness and passion for phygital sports globally. We would like to thank all the nations who bid to host The Games of the Future 2027 and are pleased to announce that Brazil, Serbia, South Africa, and Uzbekistan have been selected as the nations shortlisted as potential hosts.”
Following further evaluations and detailed assessments of each finalist’s proposal, the final decision on the host country for GOTF 2027 will be announced in the summer of 2025.
The post Four Countries Shortlisted to Host GOTF 2027 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Valorant Added to Hero Esports Asian Champions League

The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s premier multi-title esports tournament hosted by Hero Esports, has officially announced the addition of VALORANT to its inaugural lineup.
Previously, ACL unveiled six game titles: Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), Honor of Kings, Teamfight Tactics, Delta Force, and Crossfire. With VALORANT joining the roster, the total number of games now stands at seven, with more titles expected to be announced soon.
Through continued collaboration with the Esports World Cup, ACL has revealed that the champions of the ACL CS2 and Honor of Kings Tournaments will secure direct entry to the Esports World Cup. Further collaborations on the remaining titles of the ACL are anticipated.
The ACL VALORANT Tournament will be the only international-level VALORANT tournament held in China during the first half of 2025, attracting top teams from overseas. The Final of the event will take place offline in Shanghai. The event will use world-class production and cutting-edge live broadcasting technology to enhance audience experience.
The ACL is set to take place in the first half of 2025, with the Finals of the ACL CS2 Tournament and Honor of Kings Tournament scheduled for May. The ACL will have a total prize pool of $2 million.
Jonny Wang, CEO of the Asian Champions League, said: “We are excited to announce the addition of VALORANT to the ACL. Our ambition is to make ACL into a truly comprehensive tournament, providing a larger stage for players and teams across various competitions while delivering more exciting content for our audience.”
Danny Tang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Esports, said: “We are pleased by the progress of the ACL and its ability to attract top teams and titles to compete across Asia. We look forward to the continued collaboration between Hero Esports, ACL and the Esports World Cup Foundation, which is testament to our shared ambition to shape and empower esports globally.”
The post Valorant Added to Hero Esports Asian Champions League appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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