Just to clarify, it usually does NOT include Pakistan, Turkey, or Afghanistan – based on boundaries.
Since then money and attention have been injected into the region at a fast pace.
GAMERS GALXY Invitational Seriesheld in March 2022 was a landmark event for Dubai.
Riyadh Masters 2022followed closely behind and featured a $4,000,000 prize pool.
It was the LAN segment of the GamesWithoutBorders online tournament, complete with a team to represent Saudia Arabia.
Its success gave way to even more interest in esports, specifically the Dota 2 ecosystem in the region.
Riyadh Masters 2023and its staggering $15,000,000 prize pool rivaled The International and churned out even more hype.
The result has had a lasting impression and footprint on the landscape.
BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024will be the first tournament of the new year to boast a $1,000,000 prize.
It’s easy to see where these hot takes come from.
(…) before it was really hard for them to do anything.
We had the DPC but to play DPC you had to play for Europe from Jordon.
Everything was really rough and it’s tough to play like that.
Now, you have the motivation to because you’re free to play MENA qualifiers for MENA."
As AfrOmoush further explained to us,
“Tier 2 and Tier 1 orgs will keep looking to MENA.
for play MENA, they will need players from MENA .
Sure, there might be teams or players that will take a stab at abuse the region system.
There was a time when there weren’t any international events happening in SA, let alone a Major.
it is going to take time for the region to grow and thrive.
It won’t magically happen overnight, or even in the first year or so.
But eventually, the investment will pay off and just like in South America, it will yield results.
