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Football for Friendship eWorld Championship to be held for the second time in F4F World multiuser simulator
The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will be taking place for the second time at the end of May. After sports fans from over 100 countries took part last year, 211 countries and regions will be represented this time round.
The important events in Gazprom’s International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship (F4F) will be taking place in a digital format this year too because of the pandemic. Following established tradition, a few highlights are being organised to take place in Istanbul, the host city for the final of the UEFA Champions League, from 28th to 30th May.
The 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place on the multiplayer simulator Football for Friendship World (F4F World), which was specially developed for F4F. International team matches can be organised on this platform in real time. The individual users, each of whom is a player on the team, come from different countries. The team consists of a goalkeeper, a defender, two midfield players and two attackers. There is also a trainer and some substitutes. A game runs for 2 halves of 3.5 minutes.
Since 19th April, football academies all over the world have been invited to nominate girls and boys aged 12 to 14 as players. The draw that will put the kids into International Teams of Friendship will be in the middle of May. The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place from 27th to 29th May.
The winners of the 2020 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship were the team “Granular salamander”, whose players came from Bosnia Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey. In the course of the final events in the 8th season of “Football for Friendship”, a new GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title was set for the most users in a football video hangout. This year too F4F is aiming once more to set what would be a third GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title.
Since December 2020, F4F World has been available to anyone interested, outside of the eF4F tournament as well, free of charge in 27 different languages. An exciting match, in which the Nine Values of Football for Friendship: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour, are emphasised, awaits F4F World players. The particular features of F4F World include an original, hand-drawn design, a unique profile modification function, the option of playing in various divisions and leagues, of founding one’s own club or of inviting randomly selected players from around the world to take part in the match. In addition, participants can design their own player as they wish. For example, the players’ hairstyles show the colours of their respective national flags. The 2021 version will also offer some new features like training sessions. The F4F World game is available on MS Windows, Apple MacOS and iOS and was developed by the company DataArt.
Andrey Trusov, DataArt: “It was very interesting and motivating to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of F4F. For me, it was a new experience that there is such a competition for children – one that also promotes values like friendship, fairness, and peace. My colleagues and I engaged very intensively with the whole F4F concept in order to be able to give it form and expression in virtual reality.”
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship has been run by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous eight seasons, the programme has brought together over 15,000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 6,000,000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants in the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams of the Football for Friendship World Championship. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.
In 2020, Football for Friendship was held online. A special digital platform connected over 10,000 players of all ages. It has become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone can train, join in the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.
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Altenar
Altenar launches Super Early Payout to boost World Cup engagement
Leading sportsbook provider Altenar has announced the launch of Super Early Payout to give soccer bettors more chance to celebrate winning moments before the final whistle.
The new promotion has gone live in time for the World Cup 2026 and means bettors who back a team in eligible markets will have their bet settled as a winner as soon as their selected team takes a one-goal lead, regardless of the final result.
This is an upgrade to the popular Early Payout offer, which requires a team to lead by two goals before qualifying bets are settled. Reducing the threshold to one goal allows Super Early Payout to deliver faster wins and an even more engaging betting experience.
Operators can configure the promotion for a specific team or both teams, while also having the option to replace the standard 1X2 market for a more prominent promotional experience.
Altenar has also brought greater flexibility to promotional campaigns with improvements to the Early Payout feature, which can now be applied directly to selected events rather than entire championships, making it easier to highlight key World Cup fixtures and other high-profile matches.
The enhancement supports both two-goal and three-goal Early Payout configurations and can also be applied to one or both teams. By moving beyond championship-wide set-ups, operators can create more targeted campaigns.
Expanded markets have also enriched Altenar’s soccer coverage at major tournaments such as the World Cup. New additions allow bettors more choice when it comes to player performance, including how goals or shots were made (by foot, header, outside the box etc).
Player specials have been expanded to include substitute coverage, allowing betting opportunities to remain relevant even when the originally selected player is replaced by a substitute.
A comprehensive range of player, team and match markets are also now available for matches that go to extra time, creating additional betting opportunities during the knockout stage of tournaments such as the World Cup.
These new features follow on from the World Cup Lobby, which was recently released by Altenar as a dedicated event hub designed to enhance player engagement and streamline navigation during the upcoming tournament.
Nikos Zygouris, Head of Sportsbook Product at Altenar, said: “At Altenar, we’re focused on giving our partners the flexibility to tailor their sportsbook experience to the needs of their customers.
“Super Early Payout allows operators to offer a more engaging soccer betting proposition, while our expanded range of markets means bettors have more choice than ever when it comes to placing bets on the markets which matter most to them.
“These enhancements combine greater promotional flexibility with deeper soccer coverage, helping operators maximise engagement throughout the World Cup.”
The post Altenar launches Super Early Payout to boost World Cup engagement appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Arnold Ash
Arnold Ash sponsors Arthurian League US tour ahead of 2026 Transatlantic Cup
Arnold Ash has agreed a sponsorship deal for the Arthurian League’s 2026 US Tour, which will culminate in the inaugural Transatlantic Cup on Friday 26 June in Philadelphia. The announcement was dated Friday 12th June 2026.
The Transatlantic Cup will be played during the 2026 World Cup and is framed by organisers as part of events marking 250 years of US independence. US amateur champions West Chester United SC, holders of the 2025 US Adult Soccer Association (USASA) National Amateur Cup, will host the Arthurian League representative side.
Arnold Ash’s logo will appear on the front of the touring team’s white and red England kit. The company said the headline partnership covers the full 12-day tour, including additional matches against New York Athletic Club and Boston Bolts, plus in-stadium branding at the ticketed fixture at Drexel University’s Vidal Athletic Complex and across event online and social channels.
Jon Arnold, CEO at Arnold Ash, said: “Arnold Ash has been a proud sponsor of the Arthurian League representative sides at major events before, but it doesn’t get any bigger than this. The team is hugely talented, made up of the top amateur players England has to offer and – as the best-of-the-best – reflect the Arnold Ash core principles of quality, experience and consistency.
“The World Cup is now underway, but for the next five weeks, the Transatlantic Cup is where the real action is at! We wish both England teams the best of luck stateside!”
Billy Jenkins, Manager of the Arthurian League representative team, said: “Arnold Ash’s sponsorship is hugely valuable to our team, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued backing of grassroots football.
“We are honoured to participate in the first-ever Transatlantic Cup and just like England’s professional team hope to be lifting prestigious silverware on US soil in the coming weeks.”
The post Arnold Ash sponsors Arthurian League US tour ahead of 2026 Transatlantic Cup appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
Esports Foundation opens 2026 co-streaming Creator Program with $2m rewards pool
The Esports Foundation (EF) has opened applications for its 2026 Creator Program, committing $2 million (~INR 19 crore) in rewards for co-streamers supporting the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris and the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 in Riyadh. EF announced the program on June 12, 2026, from Paris and Riyadh, and said applications are open now, including for creators across India.
EF said co-streaming was a key driver of EWC reach last year, citing 3,500 co-streamers as “one of the key growth pillars” for EWC viewership in 2025. The Foundation is positioning the 2026 Creator Program as a scaled-up initiative, targeting 5,000 creators “across new regions and platforms.”
“This isn’t just an esports trend; it’s a media trend,” said Wasae Imran, Director Broadcast & Distribution at the Esports Foundation. “Across music, video, news and sport, audiences don’t just watch what they’re given anymore. They choose their own experience: what to watch, where to focus, and how deep to go. Esports just lives further down that road than most, and traditional sport is heading the same way. It’s not about delivering a match in one format, it’s about opening up every way into the same moment and letting fans choose how they want to consume it. The Creators Program is how we build for that, by enabling the growth of creators that fans already trust to carry the world’s biggest esports event into every community.”
According to EF, approved creators can co-stream selected tournaments, complete missions, and progress a “Battle Pass” tied to rewards ranging from gift cards and hardware to platform perks and invitations to EWC and ENC. EF said the program supports multiple streaming platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Bilibili, Huya, and CHZZK.
EF also confirmed operational details for EWC 2026: the event is set for Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from July 6 through August 23, featuring more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries across 25 tournaments and 24 games, with a $75 million+ prize pool. ENC 2026 is scheduled for November in Riyadh and will extend the creator program to a nation-based competition format.
The post Esports Foundation opens 2026 co-streaming Creator Program with $2m rewards pool appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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