The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced a total prize pool of $500,000 (~£373,000) for the 14th edition of its flagship tournament the World Esports Championships Finals.

The World Esport Championships prize pool has substantially increased in just one year, as it stood at $55,000 (~£41,000) in 2021.

IESF World Esports Championships announces $500,000 prize pool, Nexus Gaming LLC
Image credit: International Esports Federation (IESF)

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According to the release, the WE Championships will take place in Bali, Indonesia from 27th November to 9th December 2022.

Moreover, IESF recently announced six titles that will be featured at the competition. CS:GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7 and eFootball will return to this year’s WE Championships. Morever, mobile games including PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will also be featured for the first time to reflect the growth of the mobile gaming industry.

Vlad Marinescu, President of the IESF, commented: “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.”

At the end of 2021, IESF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Esports World Federation (ESWF). As a result, the two federations would collaborate on the ‘development and unification of esports’ across the world.

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Boban Totovski, General Secretary at IESF, added: “The inclusion of these spectacular six 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.”

Esports Insider says: The International Esports Federation continues to grow. After hitting 100 member nations and growing its commercial roster, the federation is now able to offer almost 10 times its prize pool from last year. Mobile games are also included in this year’s WE Championships for the first time. We’re excited to see how the tournaments will play out!

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