$1m Counter-Strike tournament to kick off at Gamers8 in Riyadh

RIYADH: Gamers8: The Land of Heroes will bring 16 top teams from around the world together to battle it out over five days for a $1 million prize fund in a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament.

The CS:GO multi-player tactical first-person shooter tournament, organized by the Saudi Esports Federation and Valve Corp., runs from Wednesday Aug. 16 to 20 at Boulevard Riyadh City. The tournament will give teams a last chance to compete in the hugely popular CS:GO contest before the launch of Counter-Strike 2 this year.

Among the 16 participating teams from around the world, MIBR (Brazil) and Fnatic (UK) claimed their places by securing regional victories in the North American and European regional contests at Gamers Without Borders — the world’s largest charitable esports event, which is also organized by the Saudi Esports Federation.

The regional winners will be joined by Team Falcons (Saudi Arabia), Apeks and Heroic (Norway), Cloud9 and FaZe Clan (US), G2 Esports and Gamer Legion (Germany), ENCE (Finland), FURIA Esports (Brazil), Team Liquid (Netherlands), Natus Vincere (Ukraine), Team Vitality (France), and Virtus.pro (Russia).

Faisal bin Homran, chief esports officer at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament underlines the truly elite and global aspect of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, and we look forward to welcoming 16 of the best teams in the world for the event.

“The tournament is further evidence of Saudi Arabia’s standing as a global gaming and esports hub. We are delighted that Gamers8 continues to go from strength to strength, attracting the most talented esports teams on the planet and reinforcing our country’s prominent position in the industry.”