The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced a total prize pool of US$500,000 to be awarded at the upcoming 14th WE Championships Finals, taking place in Bali, Indonesia from 27 November to 9 December. The WE Championships prize pool has seen an unprecedented increase in just one year, from US$55,000 in 2021 to US$500,000 this year.
IESF President Vlad Marinescu said, “We are very excited for this momentous growth of the 2022 WE Championships Finals prize pool to $500,000, which is representative of the growing popularity and credibility of our flagship event. We are on track to hold the biggest and most inclusive WE Championships yet. We look forward to further increasing access to professional Esports opportunities and providing athletes with the ultimate environment to perform at their full potential.”
IESF recently announced the six game titles which will be featured at the competition. CS:GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7 and eFootball will return to this year’s WE Championships and mobile games PUBG mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be featured for the first time. Registration for National Federations opened on 20 February and over 120 countries across six continents are expected to compete in the regional and national qualifiers.
The WE Championships remains the sole international Esports event where athletes compete by representing their countries. Bali was awarded hosting rights in September 2021 and was handed over the hosting duties during a special ceremony following the 2021 WE Championships Finals in Eilat, Israel, which united the World Esports Family for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following successful competitions at the 2021 WE Championships in Eilat, Israel, CS:GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball return for the 14th edition. Mobile titles PUBG mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be included for the first time in 2022 to reflect the growth of the mobile gaming industry, especially among those without the resources or means to play on consoles.
IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski said: “The inclusion of these spectacular six game titles in the 2022 WE Championships supports our mission to unite, support and promote the World Esports Family. We are very grateful for the continued collaboration with publishers, the inclusion of two new mobile titles and to feature the first CS:GO female tournament this year. Together, we are working towards a more accessible and inclusive Esports community.”
Registration will open for National Federations on 20 February on IESF’s new platform. The qualification process will include PC, mobile and console games.
“We look forward to the launch of the qualification process to provide athletes from all over the world the opportunity to participate in the largest international Esports competition where they can represent their nations,” added Totovski.
