The world of e-sports has become quite vibrant in recent times, and the number of new players it has gained over the past two years tells the tale. Unfortunately, the COVID 19 pandemic caused big challenges in this arena that resulted in the cancellation or postponement of nearly all the tournaments. However, the world gradually adapted to the situation, and 2021 has been a promising year for e-sports lovers. Many remarkable tournaments are in line while others have already taken place, causing a big spectacle among the people.
The gaming world has been on overdrive, and this is evident across all sectors. The online gambling world, for instance, has grown tremendously since last year. The number of free penny slots no download has increased, thus offering slot lovers a huge variety of games to choose from. The same has been replicated in the development of:
- table games,
- video poker,
- live dealer games.
Let us take a look at the top seven e-sports tournaments in the world in 2021. Most of them will not come as a surprise because they are in the same old popular e-sports games like Dota 2.
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
The upcoming PGL Stockholm Major will perhaps be the biggest tournament of 2021. It is a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament that will take place at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm from the 23rd of October. The tournament is supposed to last for two weeks, and it promises exhilarating actions:
- It will feature 24 teams that will qualify through the major regional rankings,
- The tournament will have 3 stages,
- The teams stand a chance of bagging millions of dollars if they emerge top. This is a huge improvement since the last tournament, PGL Major Krakow 2017, had a 1 million US dollars pool prize.
This is the most anticipated CS:GO tournament since the ESL One Rio Major was postponed and later cancelled due to the pandemic. You should not miss this one if you are an e-sports lover.
Dota 2 International 2021
October will certainly be a scintillating month for e-sports aficionados because it will also host the International 10 – Dota 2 Championships. The tournament is going to run from 7th to 17th October. The group stage is slated for 7th to 10th, followed by the Main Stage on 12th, and the grand finale on the 17th, where the two best teams will battle for the top prize.
This tournament will take place at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest, Romania. This is the biggest stadium in this country, and it says a lot about the magnitude of this event. The teams will be battling for the Aegis of Champions. Eighteen elite teams are expected to participate, so you can expect nothing but breathtaking action.
League of Legends World Championship 2021
The 11th League of Legends world championship is another e-sports tournament that you should certainly look forward to. October is certainly heaven-sent for e-sports lovers, and this one confirms it. It will take place from the 5th of October to the 6th of November at the Laugardalsholl Sports Center in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The 2021 tournament will put 22 teams against each other, which will be gotten from their rankings in the regional circuits. There are eleven regions, so the best two from each region will battle to become the winner of the League of Legends game. Riot Games is planning to offer a superb tournament, and the prize pool could be around 7 million US dollars.
IEM Cologne 2021
This CS:GO tournament offered a spicy affair for e-sports lovers. It attracted 24 teams from each region that battled it out for the top prize of 1 million US dollars. It was held in Cologne, Germany, from the 8th to the 18th of July, 2021. The organizers, ESL, delivered a perfectly executed tournament that attracted a big audience online. It had three stages:
- play-in,
- group stage,
- and play-offs.
Eventually, Natus Vincere (NAVI) emerged victorious after beating the formidable G2 Esports team.
WEPlay AniMajor
This Dota 2 tournament is another e-sports tournament that captured the attention of the world. The event, operated by WEPlay and organized by Valve, was held in the WePlay Esports Arena in Kyiv, Ukraine. It took place from the 2nd to the 13th of June 2021. The tournament attracted 18 teams and had a prize pool of half a million US dollars.
It had three stages, round-robin series, group stage, and the play-offs that finally culminated in a grand finale that took place on the last day. The winning team was PSG.LGD, which walked away with $200,000 after beating the Evil Geniuses. This tournament was the last opportunity for teams to get the points to get into the International Dota 2 tournament above.
Overwatch League 2021
This is the 4th league season of the Overwatch game. It started with a regular season in several peat teams against each other in four midseason tournaments. Then, the playoffs were held between the 4th and 25th of September. It had a total prize pool of 3.2 million US dollars. The fans were able to follow the proceedings via YouTube as well as the official websites. Eventually, the San Francisco Shock team became the champions after the long season, and they bagged a whopping prize of 1.5 million dollars.
LCS 2021 Championship
This tournament will conclude our list of the top seven e-sports tournaments of 2021. It attracted elite North American League of Legends teams. Eventually, 100 Thieves won the title after edging out Team Liquid in an epic battle. Nevertheless, both teams will get a chance to battle it out at the world championship mentioned above.
These are the top seven e-sports tournaments in the world in 2021. The upcoming ones promise to offer enthusiasts a superb experience like never before, while the ones that have already taken place were simply remarkable. The year 2021 has been a blockbuster, and it has certainly made up for the disappointments of the year 2020.
