- The first edition of the MENA tournament comes to an end with more than 22,000 fans watching the Grand Final stage.
Dubai, 22 December 2020: Anubis Gaming from Egypt became the first winners of the Intel Arabian Cup (IAC), overcoming fierce competition in the Final Stage, which was watched by more than 22,000 viewers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Based on the League of Leagues title and organized by Riot Games in partnership with Intel and Lenovo, the last phase of the tournament saw eight of the region’s best gaming teams represent their countries in their quest for glory.
Anubis Gaming’s line-up included Maged Mohammad (Maged), Mohammad Suleiman (Rated), Ahmed Jalala (Dakrai), Islam Ali (Dattura), and Khaled El Noshokaty (Fev3r), who combined their skills and experience to emerge as the region’s best team. For their efforts, eGz Esports from Saudi Arabia finished second while Fox Gaming, who represented Morocco, secured third place.
The Final Stage brings the IAC to a close with the tournament showcasing the best gaming talent across the MENA region over seven months. Open to players in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, the tournament saw more than 1,000 teams and 5,000 players taking part in three different stages.
Islam Ali of Anubis Gaming said: “The Intel Arabian Cup was a great journey and we all loved being part of this tournament. The qualifiers and three stages were so exciting and given the quality of the other teams, we ensured we worked hard and thankfully it paid off. I would like to thank all our supporters and especially Mr Joe, the co-founder of Anubis Gaming and the coaching staff for all their efforts in helping make us the Intel Arabian Cup champions.”
With the support of Riot Games, Intel and Lenovo, IAC provided an opportunity for amateur and professional gamers to test themselves in a competitive environment, aiming to recognize and nurture local talent as well as develop the gaming landscape in the region.
The tournament also attracted substantial viewership numbers with the matches broadcasted live to thousands on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube. The Grand Final attracted 22,000 viewers and more than 80,000 unique viewers tuned in throughout the final.
Ali Muslumanoglu, General Manager of Riot Games MENAI, said: “As the first edition of the tournament, we could not have been more pleased with the buzz that Intel Arabian Cup has created.
“When mapping this tournament together, we wanted to provide the best possible experiences for both players and viewers and after more than seven months, we can proudly say we achieved this. Having 22,000 viewers watching the final matches live is incredible and reflects how popular gaming is in this region. At the same time, it also proves the depth of talent that we have in the MENA region and a competition like this can only bridge the gap between other regions.
“With the support of Intel and Lenovo, we have delivered a memorable tournament and I would like to thank them and everyone from players to viewers for making the Intel Arabian Cup a success. This is just the beginning and we look forward to rolling out more competitions in the future.”