eSports
Virtus.pro and Kappa announce partnership and introduce Change the Game collection
Virtus.pro and Kappa brand announce partnership, the first stage of which is going to be the participation of the team in the brand’s new campaign — Change the Game. Later this year, a joint collection of Kappa and Virtus.pro will also be presented.
Club’s players in CS:GO, Jame, Qikert, FL1T, n0rb3r7, fame took part in the campaign dedicated to the release of the new Kappa spring collection. The photo set immerses everyone in Kappa Virtual Hub, an inspiring environment where real abilities and talents become super skills. Players open new doors for themselves and each one of them sets his own rules of the game. The digital avatar of Kappa, representing the female part of the capsule, becomes the companion of the players in the virtual world. She tells the heroes about the principles of the virtual space and watches how they reveal their capabilities.
“Modern day esports players are in constant motion, development, and search. This brings them close to the values of the Kappa brand. They do not stop there, they learn and try new things to become better, to show that they are the ones to create the rules of the game. Even now, esports players are changing the perception of reality before our eyes, blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds, thereby bringing us closer to the futuristic universes that we tell our audience about from season to season. It has always been important for us to be able to cooperate and support people whose goals and interests we share. Therefore, the partnership with Virtus.pro, one of the biggest esports clubs in the world, is a huge and significant step for Kappa as a brand. It will allow us to contribute to the development of both the club itself and the entire industry as a whole, and will make the world of the future that we talk about so much even more real,” said Anton Chesnokov, Kappa Senior Brand Manager.
“Kappa is a global brand that has been around for over 100 years and supplies equipment to a huge number of sports clubs around the world. But even with such a solid background, Kappa remains an innovator in the world of sportswear. It doesn’t simply follow modern trends, but also sets them. Therefore, we are pleased that Kappa is transferring its historical heritage to the digital world with such a large-scale collaboration in the territory of esports, and doing it together with Virtus.pro. We are confident that the club’s fans will appreciate the results of our cooperation, because style and passion are what unites us with Kappa,” said Nikolai Petrossian, CEO of Virtus.pro.
Kappa’s new collection is inspired by some of the classic models and the brand’s football heritage. The collection is made in recognizable colors: black, white, gray and blue. Solid color silhouettes are accompanied by brand logo print and color-block coloring.
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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.
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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.
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HLTV will stage the HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet in Belgrade, Serbia on January 9, 2027, returning to the Sava Center. The company said more than 1,000 players, industry professionals, creators, and fans are expected to attend.
HLTV also confirmed Dust2 creator David Johnston will feature as an award announcer. HLTV linked the booking to the 25th anniversary of Dust2.
For 2026, HLTV is updating its Hall of Fame process and eligibility rules. Four players will be inducted again, with “at least two and up to three” slots reserved for players from the Counter-Strike 1.6 and early eras. HLTV also removed the former “neo rule,” allowing players to be inducted for their playing careers even if they remain active in other roles such as coaching.
HLTV is adding a Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be decided by the Hall of Fame Board. The ceremony will also move Community Awards onto the main stage show for the first time, rather than the pre-show segment.
Separately, HLTV will kick off the 2027 Awards season with an invite-only “HLTV Awards by 1xBet Launch Party x GRID” in Cologne during the Major. HLTV said industry members can apply for an invite to the ceremony via its awards page.
The post HLTV Awards returns to Belgrade on January 9, 2027, adding Lifetime Achievement honor appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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