With three seeds into the $300,000 global grand finals, this is the biggest opportunity for the Hearthstone scene in Africa and the Middle East.
Outside the lavish prize pool of the Blizzcon Grand Finals, the World Electronic Sports Games league is about to be the highest paying tournament in Hearthstone history. Blizzard’s card game is taking a $300,000 cut out of the seven-figure total prize pool across four disciplines, topping previous prize pool high-fliers WCA and even the last two World Championships.
WESG’s goal to create truly global grand final has got them organizing dozens of qualifiers across the world, even in regions not really known for their vibrant esports scene. Next to proven regions such as Europe, Asia and North America, we see “Africa & Middle East”, whose LAN qualifiers is taking place today.
A total of eight players who came from the four sub-qualifiers – Turkey, North & West Africa, South & East Africa and Middle East – will spar for three spots in the $300,000 grand finals in China. Although the region is getting more spots than stronger regions like the host country, it’s still the undisputed underdog to take a slice of the massive prize pool.
