eSports
EXCEL ESPORTS recruits FC Schalke 04 Esports’ Tim Reichert as new Esports Director
Reichert brings over 20+ years of extensive experience across esports and sports performance management marking EXCEL ESPORTS’ commitment to the competitive success of all of its rosters.
British competitive gaming culture brand EXCEL ESPORTS is pleased to announce Tim Reichert has been appointed as its new Esports Director as the brand looks to elevate its competitive ambitions. A true industry heavyweight Tim joins EXCEL following over five years at German-based esports organisation, FC Schalke 04 Esports, where he oversaw the successful growth and development of its esports rosters.
Tim burst onto the esports scene in 1997 after co-founding esports organisation SK Gaming alongside his brothers, Ralf and Benjamin Reichert. SK Gaming has gone on to become a European powerhouse creating lasting legacies in multiple gaming titles. Tim then turned to his second passion in life, sports, where he became a professional footballer playing for the likes of Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. After nine successful years in football, Tim completed a five-year stint as a client consultant at the biggest media company in Germany, Mediacom & GroupM.
In his most recent role, Tim utilised his knowledge and experience from esports and traditional sports to become Head of Esports at FC Schalke 04 Esports. During his time at the organisation, Tim oversaw the success of its League of Legends team’s which included five appearances in the prestigious League of Legends European Championship playoffs and top place final finishes in 2018 and 2019.
As Esports Director Tim will focus on driving the overall success strategy across all of EXCEL’s competitive rosters and talent. This includes ensuring the players mental and physical health, education, data, personal development, living conditions and access to top tier training facilities are at the forefront of importance.
The appointment of Tim follows the recent growth of EXCEL’s competitive rosters, the expansion of its talent and leadership team as well as a successful €20M investment round. EXCEL recently completed the biggest FIFA transfer ever, signing FIFA professional Tom ‘Tom’ Leese. The growth signifies EXCEL’s commitment and ambitions to field players in the biggest and best esports in the world.
Tim Reichert, Esports Director at EXCEL ESPORTS comments: “I am excited to be joining the EXCEL team as the new Esports Director bringing extensive experience from two top tier esports organisations. EXCEL’s unique positioning as one of the strongest economies in Europe with its strong management team and support network makes it very well prepared for the future and the opportunities to recruit top tier talent are endless. I believe EXCEL’s leadership team and I share a similar competitive vision and I look forward to ensuring EXCEL continues to strive forward and develop its players to compete on the biggest stages in the world.”
Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS comments: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Tim joining EXCEL’s senior management team. Whilst EXCEL ESPORTS is rapidly expanding to become a global force out of Britain, clearly, we need to level up to compete with the world’s best. Tim brings a wealth of experience across both esports and sports industries, and we believe Tim is the perfect person to take us to the global top and support our competitive talent in their careers. With all that Tim has to bring, I look forward to working with him to build on our continued success.”
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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.
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