The business of sports tech, in brief.
As the dust settles on the Esports World Cup, the eyes of the Counter-Strike 2 esports circuit turn towards BLAST Open Porto 2026, the next stop in a hugely populated Tier 1 calendar. With 13 of the 16 teams committing to the incredibly short turnaround, the stage is set for another enthralling…
Following OpTic Gaming’s successful defense of its Esports World Cup title in Paris, the curtain has fallen on the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 season. The latest installment of the Call of Duty League (CDL) featured everything from a much-needed return to Europe to several teams consistently battling…
Recently, PUBG MOBILE‘s attempts to grow its competitive footprint in Western Europe saw it sign a partnership with G2 Esports and launch an ambassador program, revealing German content creator Janicka Gaming as the first ‘dedicated ambassador’ for Western Europe. Janička is no stranger to PUBG…
The Esports World Cup (EWC) mega-event is well underway in Paris, boasting an eye-watering $75 million prize pool, spread across 25 tournaments and 24 titles. As one of the most significant remaining events, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) runs from Aug. 12–23, with 32 of the best teams lighting up the…
BLAST Premier returns to Portugal, but this time it’s breaking new ground. After three stops in Lisbon, BLAST Open Porto 2026 will take the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 teams to Porto for the first time – all fighting for a cut of a $1.1 million prize pool. Taking place right after the Esports…
Last week, Riot Games announced the suspension of Polish League of Legends player Jakub “Syzyf” Ruta. Riot announced a 12-month ban for the player, who allegedly allowed family members to bet on his matches. The ban appears to be either too long or too short, depending on what bets the family…
France-based esports organization Team Vitality fields one of the most successful rosters in the history of competitive gaming. And it’s not what you might expect. Team Vitality’s women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) team just won its fourth championship title at the Esports World Cup (EWC)…
The LEC returns today with the 2026 Summer Split getting underway in Paris, France. There will be a nine-week run between now and the finals in September, and from there, we’ll see which three European teams head to the League of Legends World Championships. This week, we’re introducing something a…
Snap Inc. and the Esports Foundation have announced Snap’s activations at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, running July 6 through August 23. For the first time, Snap’s CamKit
The Esports World Cup‘s third edition landed in Paris this year, following a last-minute relocation due to geopolitical tensions. The Esports Foundation faced an unenviable task: moving 25 tournaments, thousands of competitors, and all the infrastructure behind them to a new country and city in a…
Ahead of the ALGS 2026 Split 1 Playoffs at the Esports World Cup in Paris, we handed Bowen “Monsoon” Fuller the mic and let him interview his own teammate, Miguel “Blinkzr” Quiles, with Esports Insider (ESI) stepping in only occasionally. Rather than the usual pre-match press questions, we’ve got…
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen was a diminutive silhouette as he sat at the end of the stage where he’d be illuminated at the end of the Esports World Cup’s Opening Ceremony’s opening gambit. Five minutes later, French superstar Aya Nakamura performed one song and left the stage. So too did…
Ever since the conclusion of Masters London at the end of June, seemingly no topic has been more prominent in the VALORANT esports scene than the unexpected kicking of Head Coach Hector “FrosT” Rosario from Global Esports. What started as a leak on June 24th sparked a wave of rumors, speculation…
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, France from July 6 through August
Nicolas Maurer can’t quite remember the name of the tournament. A small Call of Duty LAN – somewhere in Paris – the kind where the musk of stale energy drinks and hum of a room full of machines linger longer than the name – left its mark on the man who would go on to … Continued
VALORANT Masters London concluded on June 21st with a five-map thriller between Pacific’s Paper Rex and VCT Americas’ Leviatán. But it wasn’t the event favorite, comprised of a loyal core of VCT legends, that lifted the Masters London trophy in the end. It was Leviatán who came out on top with a…
Over 20 days in June, IEM Cologne saw $109.3 million traded on US-based prediction market Kalshi as a fairytale storyline drew to a conclusion in Germany. The $109.3 million represents volume of contracts traded, so does not necessarily represent amount of actual money wagered, or handle in…
The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is meant to be a fun, slightly unhinged celebration of national pride, where countries assemble dream teams and battle it out for bragging rights. It is a festival of gaming. But leave it to a corner of the internet to ruin the vibe. When Team Denmark announced their…
VALORANT Masters London’s second Playoffs day kicked off last week with a three-map thriller between VCT EMEA darkhorse FUT Esports and VCT China legend Champions EDward Gaming (EDG). Tension was brewing throughout the series, with FUT Esports delivering banter on stage and receiving boos from the…
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is the latest guy to claim his city will “lead the world in esports.” It sounds exciting at first, sure, but it made me laugh almost immediately. How many friggin “esports capitals” do we need? It’s a phrase that basically means nothing at this point. During a…
