IESF Expands Female’s CS:GO Tournament for 2023 World Esports Championships

International Esports Federation (IESF) today announced the expansion of the women’s CS:GO tournament from four to 10 teams at the 2023 World Esports Championships Finals, taking place from August 24 to September 4 in Iași, Romania. The expansion comes after the success of the inaugural installment of the tournament at the 2022 WE Championships Finals in Bali, Indonesia. 

The 2022 WE Championships was a historic moment for female gamers, as the introduction of the women’s CS:GO tournament drew large crowds and was a massive stride towards greater inclusion in esports. IESF aims to uplift and empower female gamers in all competitions, and the women’s CS:GO tournament allows for more of the world's best all-female teams to compete at the highest level. 

IESF President Vlad Marinescu said: "We are thrilled to announce the expansion of the women’s CS:GO tournament at this year's World Esports Championships. This reflects the progress we have made in making esports more inclusive for all. We can't wait to see what these incredible teams will bring to this year's competition. IESF strongly believes in removing barriers to access for female gamers, and providing them with more opportunities to shine on the world's biggest stage." 

MSSA President, and IESF past president, Colin Webster stated: "Since 2012 IESF had introduced tournaments for females - sometimes with very stiff opposition from sectors of the gaming community. For a while it was only MSSA that would submit all female teams to IESF. I, and MSSA as a whole, therefore welcomes this action by IESF and hopes that IESF will expand on the programme to have more opportunities in many more game titles".

Gabriella Isaacs - 2nd in
StarCraft II (females)
IESF's 4th World Esports
Championships - Cheonan.

Webster then went on to state, " MSSA is proud to have had fourteen (14) females officially represent South Africa as members of the Protea team at various IESF World Esports Championships. One such athlete, Gabriella Isaacs even finished second in 2012 in the StarCraft II tournament.

IESF Chief Marketing Officer Ana Karakolevska said: "I am proud of IESF for leading the charge in making esports more inclusive for all. We have made rapid progress in just a few years and IESF hopes to continue providing opportunities to promote gender equality in the World Esports Family and beyond. We can't wait to watch 10 of the world's best teams battle it out in fast-paced CS:GO action in Lași!"

IESF's regional qualifiers for the WE Championships will get underway in May and June, and the top ten female CS:GO teams will secure their spots in the Finals, which will begin in August. IESF also works with several organizations, including Women in Games and Girl Gamer Esports Festival, to help foster and promote a safe and equitable environment for women in the esports industry. 

Additional reading:

• 2023 Calendar of Events
• Affiliation: Private Clubs
• Affiliation - School
• GEF - The Road to Riyadh
• IESF: IESF has announced the slots for 15th World Championships to be held  in Lasi, Romania.
• IESF: Titles entered
• IESF: National Team Trials - 25 March 2023
• Mind Sport South Africa (MSSA) and TUT Department of Tourism Management collaborate on research to understand eSports
• National Team Trials: Counter-Strike: GO - 25 March 2023
• National Team Trials: DotA 2 - 25 March 2023
• National Team Trials: eFootball - 25 March 2023
• National Team Trials: Mobile Legends Bang Bang - 25 March 2023
• Phygital Gaming: Kazan to host Phygital Games
• Results: 2023 Northern Cape Online Championships
• Results: 2023 Western Cape Online Championships held on 25 February 2023.
• Results: 12th Online Inter-school Provincial Championships - 4 March 2023
• Results: 2023 Gauteng Online Championships held on 11 March 2023.
• Results: 13th Online Championships held on 15 April 2023.
• Selection: Calling all female esports athletes.
• Selection: Passports are required.
• Titles - esports: Premier Championships
• Titles - esports: Student Championships
• Umpire Course - 18 February 2023

IESF 2022 World Esports Championships to Feature Record $500,000 Prize Pool

 

Busan, South Korea (23 February 2022) – International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced a total prize pool of $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 $55,000 in 2021 to $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.”   Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) President, Colin Webster (also Past President of IESF) stated, "This is a welcome development which is the fruit of many years of hard work by successive IESF Boards. The increase in prize money will further enable the growth of esports as a mainstream sport and is greatly welcomed by MSSA."

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.

Also read:

• 2022 Calendar of Events
• Affiliation: Private Clubs
• Affiliation - Schools
• Events: Western Cape Online Provincial Championships - 26 February 2022
• IESF: Bali Confirmed as Host of the 2022 World Esports Championships Finals
• IESF: IESF 2022 World Esports Championships to Feature Record $500,000 Prize Pool
• IESF: IESF TO HOST CSGO EVENT FOR FEMALES.
• IESF: Six Game Titles for IESF's 2022 World Esports Championships
• Notices - Transfer season
• Titles - esports: High School Championships
• Titles - esports: Premier Championships
• Titles - esports: Student Championships

The WFH League is back for Season 3!

Following on from the success of the competition last year, Esports Insider is proud to announce the return of the WFH League for a third season.

Co-operated by ESI and Platform, the ‘corporate’ esports competition sees colleagues team up and go head-to-head against other companies in a multi-game tournament series.

This year, however, the event is expanding even further with WFH League Season 3 featuring three campaigns - Spring, Autumn, Winter - across 2021. The first of which will take place online from May 10th - 30th.

For our Spring event, three tournaments will take place as companies put their pride on the line (kind of) in Rocket League (3v3), CS:GO Wingman (2v2), and Brawlhalla (2v2).

Eight teams will compete in each tournament for prizes and the chance to gain WFH League eternal glory. In past seasons, the likes of Razer, Noblechairs, and G-Science have provided prizes for the event.

In a joint statement by WFH League’s Co-founders, Esport Insider Managing Director, Sam Cooke, and Platform COO, Nicolo Portunato, the duo commented: “We are extremely excited to announce the return of WFH League for its third season. After a successful 2020, we have upped the stakes by adding three seasonal events this year for Season 3 and we cannot wait to see everything unfold on May 10th!

Last year we very much found our feet and made significant improvements from Season 1 to Season 2, which was nicely reflected in the viewership on Twitch. We really appreciated the support of the industry and community, indeed all those involved in making it happen, and we can’t wait to kick off our third season, especially since in the Autumn it’ll include our first IRL edition at Platform in London.”

As in previous editions, WFH League has partnered with UK-based charity SpecialEffect in order to raise even more money for a good cause. Over the last two seasons, all those involved with the WFH League helped to raise over £3,500.

Tom Donegan from SpecialEffect said: “The WFH League was one of the highlights of 2020 and we’re delighted to be the charity partner again in 2021. Gamers raising money to support their fellow gamers, while having a laugh at the same time – it doesn’t get much better than that!”

Edenvale High begins its campaign on a high note.

Edenvale High School's CS: GO team 'Oasis' in a jubillant mood.

The NWU MSSA Online School League has begun and the schools are fighting hard for the spoils.

Esports, on an official level, not only adheres to the laws of the land, but also allows schools to compete at very little cost against schools in an official sport, which, otherwise, would take great sums of money. Official esports events also reinforce each school's culture and standards of discipline.

It was solely through Mind Sports South Africa's efforts that esports bcame an official sport in 2005 and MSSA was able to award Protea Colours to its team that it sent to the 2005 World Cyber Games.

The 2019 edition of the NWU MSSA Online School League has greater prizes than ever before which center on education and the school.

It will be interesting to see if Edenvale High School can maintain its winning ways.

Also read: 

• North-West University becomes the headline sponsor for MSSA's Online School League.
• 2019 Calendar of Events
• Why schools and universities should invest in esports.
• Reminder: Closing date for entries for MSSA's Inter-School League.
• How does a school join up for MSSA's 9th Online Inter-School Provincial Championships?
• Age restrictions in esports are important.

Paul Roos Gimnasium maintains its dominant position.

Paul Roos Gimnasium's Team PRG A that has just won MSSA's 9th Online Schools' Provincial Championships.

At the end of 2018, Paul Roos Gimnasium had two teams at the top of the official South African rankings for the Counter-Strike: GO esports title.

It should be noted that the Counter-Strike: GO esports title carries a 16 age restriction which forbids, by South African law, any child in South africa from participating legally in the title if under the age of 16.

Nevertheless, Paul Roos Gimnasium, known for its ethics and sportsmanship, comply at every level, and are still able to dominate.

At the recent 9th Online Schools' Provincial Championships, the only real competition that Paul Roos Gimnasium's 'Team PRG A' faced was from Paul Roos Gimnasium's 'Team PRG B'.

As such both teams are head-and-shoulders above the other ranked teams and it seems as though both are making a serious play for national squad selection that will be held at the end of May 2019.

The Paul Roos Gimnasium's 'Team PRG A' consists of the following players:

• Alek du Plessis               
• De Wet Du Plessis
• Richter Nel                   
• Adriaan Fourie, Captain
• Jan-David Burger        

Certainly all eyes will be watching the Paul Roos Gimnasium teams when they play at MSSA's 23rd Western Cape Championships that will be hed at Curro Durbanville on 23 & 24 March 2019. The current rankings for the Counter-Strike: GO esports title for High Schools is as follows:

Pos	Name of Team	year	School	Points
1	PRG A (PRG - V)	19	Paul Roos Gimnasium	416.8
2	PRG B (previously 'Hackstack')	19	Paul Roos Gimnasium	388.7
3	RISSING SONS	19	Helpmekaar	293
4	PR0NHS	19	Northcliff High School	184.5
5	PRG C	18	Paul Roos Gimnasium	182.5
6	Hoërskool Lichtenburg	18	Hoërskool Lichtenburg	182.5
7	Sample text	18	Bishops College	182.5
8	GHS CS:GO 1sts	18	Grey High School	182.5
9	Cyrex	18	Vereeniging Gimnasium	182.5
10	Soviet UnicornZ	18	Midstream College	182.5
11	District_Zero	18	Protea Heights Academy	182.5
12	Northwood CSGO	18	Northwood High	182.5
13	Westerford High School	18	Westerford High School	182.5
14	Semper Fi	18	Oakhill College	182.5
15	Choke 9	18	Empangeni High School	182.5
16	Cedar House	17	Cedar House	182.5
17	Cryptid Claws	17	Hoërskool Wonderboom	182.5
18	Curro Kld (Qantum)	17	Curro Klerksdorp	182.5
19	Limitless	17	Hoërskool Wonderboom	182.5
20	PG 18	17	Parklands College	182.5
21	Potchefstroom Gimnasium	17	Potchefstroom Gimnasium	182.5
22	Pr0NHS & Girls	17	Northcliff High School	182.5
23	PRIDE	17	Parktown Boys	182.5
24	RBHS CSGO A	17	Rondebosch Boys	182.5
25	Spartans	17	SAHETI	182.5
26	Spartans B	17	SAHETI	182.5
27	The Nerd Herd	17	Glenwood House	182.5
28	iBUYCEREALi	18	Hoërskool Wonderboom	182.5
29	Monnas B	18	HS Monument	178.1
30	AFP	17	Hoërskool Wonderboom	175.5
31	Monnas A	18	HS Monument	165.8
32	MC CS 1	17	Maritzburg College	162.8
33	GHS CS:GO 2nds	18	Grey High School	154.8
34	NHS	19	Northcliff High School	150
35	EHS CSGO	18	Empangeni High School	149.8
36	HBS	19	Redhill	148.4
37	Bishops CSGO 1ST team	19	Bishops College	146.9
38	Awoken	17	Hoërskool Wonderboom	140.8
39	MHS Esports	18	Milnerton High School	139.6
40	Oakhill	17	Oakhill College	133.1
41	Pr0NHS2	18	Northcliff High School	107
42	T.I.O	18	Oakhill College	103.5
43	Raptors HTS	17	HTS Witbank	102.9
44	Hyde Park	19	Hyde Park High	100
45	Monty Pythons	19	Fairmont High School	100
46	SETTING SONS	18	Helpmekaar	95
47	RBHS CSGO B	17	Rondebosch Boys	92.2
48	Tesseract	17	Jeppe High School for Boys	89.5
49	Ice Wolves	17	Hoërskool Wonderboom	79.5
50	rbcs-go	18	Richard's Bay Christian School	75
51	MC GO2	17	Maritzburg College	71.3
52	HTS	17	HTS Witbank	69.9
53	GWH CSGO	17	Glenwood House	64.5
54	RatedGG	18	Hoërskool Wonderboom	64
55	Hoërskool Warmbad	18	Hoërskool Warmbad	56.3

Other official rankings produced by MSSA are as follows:

• Senior Ancients Wargames
• Senior Checkers
• Senior CounterStrike: GO
• Senior DotA 2
• Senior FIFA '18
• Senior HearthStone
• Senior Injustice 2
• Senior League of Legends (female)
• Senior League of Legends
• Senior Morabaraba
• Senior Mortal Kombat X
• Senior Pro Evolution Soccer (PES)
• Senior StarCraft II
• Senior Street Fighter V
• Senior Tekken 7 (female)
• Senior Tekken 7
• High Schools CounterStrike: GO
• High Schools DotA 2
• High Schools FIFA
• High Schools HearthStone
• High Schools League of Legends
• High Schools Street Fighter V

Also read:

• All the winners of MSSA's 9th Online Schools' Provincial Championships

• The new national team selection criteria.
• Why schools and universities should invest in esports.

• 2019 Calendar of Events