The Indian gaming contingent is all set to present a strong challenge at the Regional Qualifiers of the 12th Esports World Championship which is scheduled online end of the month, from 20 October to 20 November. The national champions Moinuddin Amdani (PES 2020), Abhinav Tejan (Tekken7) and four-member Team Random (Dota 2) will represent the country at the prestigious tournament.
Due to COVID-19 outbreak the 2020 Esports World Championship, unlike previous years, has remodelled its format with a mix of online and offline competitions. This year the participating countries will compete against the teams allotted in their respective regions while the winner of each region will proceed to the World Championship Finals which will be played offline in Eliat, Israel.
10 different regions will take part in Regional Qualifiers where the Indian contingent is placed in the South Asia Region alongside Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives. “Indian contingent will be a tough one to beat, I’m pretty confident that they will not just give tough competitions but also aim a podium finish. With the pandemic still creating a havoc world over, the initial rounds will all be played online and this change in the gaming format will auger well with Indians and it can be anybody’s game. I wish the team all the very best,” Esports Federation of India director Lokesh Suji said.
The Mumbai gamer Amdani, who defended his national title in PES 2020, will make his second appearance at the World Championship. “Representing India at the global level is always an honor for any player. There was tough competition in the national championship this year but I managed to defend my title and I am looking forward to make my country proud at the World Championship,” he said.
While talking about participating in his fifth International Esports Federation’s (IESF) tournament, Tekken7 national champion Tejan said, “I’m very excited and confident going into this year’s World Championship. This year it can be any body’s game while competing virtually the pressure will be on everyone and whoever can manage mental pressure will be on the winning side. At our end, we are already working hard and are giving our best,”
A new addition this year to the gaming list has been DOTA 2, which is fastly taking over the number and followership charts globally and India is also getting into this game in a big way. Indian challenge at the world stage will be represented by Team Random who won the DOTA 2 national championship title recently. The team, comprising of Omkar Urunkar, Khaja Hussain, Amit Malwal, Omkar Gharat and Akshay Dhodi are eager to make a mark at world’s top event. “Our strength will be our team combination and a glimpse of what we can do was shown during the national championship,” Urunkar said.
This year’s edition of the Esports World Championship will witness a record of 60 countries taking part in it. The matches will be streamed live on IESF’s official channels.