Riot Games and Intel have announced that this year’s Intel Arabian Cup (IAC) competition will be the largest in its history, with a $130,000 USD prize fund, as part of their ongoing efforts to develop the best talent in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Following the success of the previous two editions, the IAC returns this month and will be bigger and better than ever, with the event now divided into three new competition categories that will be played across three of Riot Games’ most popular titles for the first time. These are League of Legends, VALORANT, and League of Legends: WildRift, with team registration now open.
The restructured and expanded IAC will pave the way for over 2,000 professional and amateur teams to become overall champions, with increased competition improving the gaming experience. It will also give them the chance to automatically qualify, secure play-off berths, and showcase their skills in front of thousands of online viewers from all over the world.
The tournament, which will take place over the next eight months, has drawn the best teams and players from across the MENA region, including last season’s champions Geekay Esports. The Saudi team will be one of ten professional teams, including eight of last year’s finalists, competing in the top-tier IAC Prestige tournament. There will be two separate regular seasons, followed by the Grand Finals, in which the teams will compete for a share of the USD $100,000 prize pool.
To celebrate the launch of the third edition, Riot Games and Intel held a virtual press conference that was attended by key senior officials.
Karim Hachani, Head of Publishing MENA at Riot Games was joined by Marcus Kennedy – Intel’s General Manager of Client Computing Group, Gaming and Esports Segment and Ali Riza Kucuk – Intel’s Regional Consumer Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
Karim Hachani explained their strategy to improve every stage of the IAC and why the competition can help bridge the gap with other regions.
He said: “Since the launch of the Arabian Cup in 2020, we have seen the competition grow immensely through strong participation and audience numbers. For example, there were over 6.1 million views throughout last year’s entire tournament which was incredible and is further proof that there is high demand for gaming across this region.
“As a leading gaming developer, we are fully aware that this industry is going from strength to strength and we are always exploring how to take things to the next level when it comes to gaming experiences in the MENA region. We listened to feedback from previous participating teams and with the on-going support of Intel we have reworked the format of this year’s Intel Arabian Cup that will not only significantly enhance the experience but also launch new tournaments based on our gaming titles which will help attract more experienced and aspiring players so they can be part of what has become one of the most popular gaming tournaments in the region.”
Marcus Kennedy also revealed more details about Intel’s new ARC graphic processor units and its 12th Generation processor.
He explained how these products and technology tools will help deliver more immersive and incredible experiences that will make gaming enjoyable.
With Intel on-board since its inaugural edition, Ali Riza Kucuk said supporting the IAC is part of their on-going efforts to develop the gaming landscape and their partnership with Riot Games is crucial to nurturing local talent and providing platforms.
Qualification to the IAC Prestige can also be secured through the IAC Qualifiers which takes place 4-9 May followed by Qualifier 2 from 3-7 July.
Hachani added: “This is another important step to nurture the incredible talent that we have in this region and we look forward to seeing some enthralling matches over the next few months.”
Fans can follow the action live with the competitions broadcasted on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.
For more information about the IAC or how to register, visit http://iac.leagueoflegends.com/
