ICYMI: Filipino Dota 2, Tekken Players Clinch eSports World Cup Berth

Filipino esports is set to be well-represented at the prestigious Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this July and August as Dota 2 team Blacklist Rivalry and Tekken player Alexandre “AK” Laverez secured their spots after battling through qualifiers.

This latest development in Philippine Esports comes as Blacklist Rivalry overcame a shaky start in the Riyadh Masters Southeast Asia Closed qualifiers. After losing their initial match, they displayed resilience with a four-game winning streak in the lower brackets, clinching their EWC berth.

Meanwhile, Tekken player Alexandre “AK” Laverez, fresh off his Combo Breaker 2024 win and becoming the first Filipino Tekken 8 player to win an international championship, also clinched his EWC berth by reaching the top eight at DreamHack Dallas 2024. He finished the Tekken competition in fifth to sixth place after a close match against Jeong “Rangchu” Hyeon-ho of South Korea with a score of 1-2.

Other Filipino teams also secured EWC berths already as Mobile Legends teams Smart Omega Empress is set to compete at the Mobile Legends Women’s Invitational, while Falcons AP Bren and Team Liquid Echo secured berths in the Mobile Legends Mid-Season Cup.

The EWC was announced in October 2023 by and is touted as the successor of Gamers8, the Saudi Esports Federation’s previously existing esports festival. The cup features 19 game titles with over 30 esports clubs participating, and a prize pool exceeding USD60 million or PHP448.9 million. (GFB)