RIYADH: The eSports World Cup “Super Sunday” held in Riyadh saw three champions emerge as KPL Dream Team won the “Honor of Kings Invitational Series 2024 Midseason”, Alliance won the “Apex Legends” competition and Team BDS won the “Rainbow Six Siege” competition.
$7 million was awarded to participants at Boulevard Riyadh City, the world's largest gaming and esports festival boasting a record prize pool of $60 million.
KPL Dream Team won $1 million with an incredible “Honor of Kings” performance, winning the entire tournament without losing a single round. The Chinese stars swept LGD Gaming MY 3-0 in the final.
Gemini, whose real name is Jia Yi and is the coach of the KPL Dream Team, said: “It's because of our teamwork. We have good skills and have worked hard for this event. It's been a long time since we've played this match. If we do this, we can win this event. I want to thank the fans. They came a long way from China to cheer us on. The facilities here are great. It was really great to play here.”
But the story of the day was “Rainbow Six Siege” as Team BDS continued their success from 2022 and 2023 at Gamers8, hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation. Not only did they make gaming history, they swept w7m esports 3-0 in the final.
Team BDS analyst eaglemees (real name Mees van der Arend) said: “We are all very happy to have won back-to-back Esports World Cups with Gamers8. I don’t think any team has made history like this. We are happy. Emotions are running high. Now we will take a short break and focus on the next tournament.”
The Swiss/French organization took home $750,000 for their tournament win. The Alliance took home the top prize of $600,000 in stunning style at the “Apex Legends” tournament held at the SEF Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City. The Swedish team won the championship by beating hometown heroes Team Falcons.
Alliance star Harkiss (real name Jon Hakansson) said, “It feels really good. It still feels surreal. After playing Apex Legends 14 times, my brain is like fried. I feel empty overall and super, super tired, but super happy and super excited. It still feels surreal.”
“The thing that's most satisfying for us is definitely getting revenge,” added Harkis. “We had a chance to win the tournament before the last 14, but we had to go back. To win the next game was amazing. It was probably the most intense tournament we've ever played in.
“The Falcons have been amazing. They're definitely a very respected team, and one of the most successful teams in the entire game. Personally, I find it funny when the fans cheer for the Falcons. They're very passionate. We even joked around during the game, 'Let's go, Falcons!' They're very special, and that's all that matters.”
The eSports World Cup, which begins on July 3 and runs until August 25, will feature 22 global competitions in 21 major events.
