eSports
Le Mans Virtual Series ready for battle in Belgium
The second round of the Le Mans Virtual Series is fast approaching and the 38-strong, star-studded entry list for the 6 Hours of Spa Virtual on Saturday, October 16 has been revealed.
Whether in real life or in the virtual world, any race held at Spa is an event which never fails to deliver excitement, tension and drama. The 7km track always provides incidents and plenty of action, and the combined skills of the racing pros and sim experts will be fully put to the test on the rFactor2 platform’s excellent portrayal of the legendary circuit. Among the features which can be put into play by the event organisers are dynamic weather and, as unpredictable conditions at Spa are extremely common, this may well shake things up even further.
Leading the battle among the 21 LMP2 prototype entries will be Monza winners, Realteam Hydrogen Redline, with Jeffrey Rietveld and Michal Smidl being joined for this round in the No.70 by FIA F3 star Caio Collet as Dani Juncadella has prior racing commitments.
With the IndyCar season now over, ex F1 driver Felix Rosenqvist joins the series in the No.123 entry, as does recently crowned FIA F3 Vice Champion Jack Doohan in the No.11 Red Bull Racing Esports ORECA 07 LMP2. Both will be relying heavily on the talents and experience of the sim stars (Atze Kerkhof/Bono Huis in #123 and Alex Siebel/Dennis Nordan in #11) in their entries as they get to grips with the Le Mans Virtual Series.
After four hours of intense racing in the opening Italian round, a scant 2 seconds separated the No.22 GPX Williams Esports and No.4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst cars and both will be looking to maintain their good form – the experienced sportscar racer Tom Dillman replacing Sergio Sette Camara in the No.4 for this round.
No fewer than five manufacturers (Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Corvette and Aston Martin) have entries in LMGTE and Porsche will be hoping for a repeat of their Monza success. The No.91 Porsche Esports Team 911 RSR GTE retains the winning line up of Mitchell deJong, Mack Bakkum and Martin Krönke, as does the No.71 BMW Team Redline of sim star turned pro racer, Rudy van Buren, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy which took a close second and will be looking for a step up on the virtual podium.
Indy 500 and IndyCar hotshot Sage Karam makes his Le Mans Virtual Series debut with Porsche Esports Team, as does Ryan Cullen in the No.87 GR Wolves Racing Porsche and current ADAC F4 champion Jonny Edgar who will be racing the No.111 Corvette C8.R for Red Bull Racing Esports.
The Le Mans Virtual Series brings together top level real life drivers and some of the world’s best sim racers to compete together in 5 endurance races of between 4 hours and 24 hours in duration and concludes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual which will take place live at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, UK in January 2022.
About Le Mans Virtual Series
- Round 1 – 4 Hours of Monza, Italy – September 25, 2021 – Online only
- Round 2 – 6 Hours of Spa, Belgium – October 16, 2021 – Online only
- Round 3 – 8 Hours of Nürburgring, Germany – October 16, 2021 – Online only
- Round 4 – 6 Hours of Sebring, USA – December 18, 2021 – Online only
- Round 5 – 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – January 15/16, 2021– ASI, UK
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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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