The biggest edition of the Intel Arabian Cup, organised by Riot Games, has got underway as teams in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region began their quest to reign supreme.
As part of its aim to deliver an immersive gaming event, Riot Games has partnered with Intel, Coca Cola, Acer (Predator), Hardee’s, Logitech and Coda Payments (Codashop) to provide a platform for professional and amateur teams to showcase their talent over the next seven months while connecting with thousands of online fans on popular streaming platforms.
This year’s IAC, which has the biggest prize fund $130,000 USD, kicked off with the top-tier Prestige Division as the teams look to advance in the League of Legends game format. The expanded tournament also sees the introduction of Riot Games’ popular titles WildRift and VALORANT for the first time where the Playground amateur events will be contested in June.
The Playground VALORANT tournament will also be part of MENA’s VALORANT Regional Circuit (VRC) and will have points granted to the participating teams. The teams that have the highest points in the VRC from June until December will advance and secure their place in MENA’s VALORANT Regional League in 2023.
Besides the best amateur talent in action, the IAC has attracted the some of the best professional sides across the MENA region. Among those that will be aiming to taste victory in the Grand Finals of the Prestige Division are reigning champions Geekay Sports (KSA), Fox Gaming (Morocco), Anubis Gaming (Egypt) and Lost Esports (UAE).
Luciano Rahal, Communications Manager at Riot Games MENA, said “After months of careful planning of working towards creating an even better experience for both fans and participants, we are thrilled to see that the third edition of the Intel Arabian Cup is finally underway.
“There’s still a long way to go before we see the champions crowned but fans can keep up to date by watching the matches live on Twitch or checking out our informative social media content at every stage of the tournament. It promises to be our most exciting tournament so far in the history of IAC with more teams in action and I encourage our gaming community to come together and watch some incredible talent across the region.”
