Riot Games has announced the teams that will compete in the inaugural VALORANT First Strike MENA tournament following the conclusion of the Strike Arabia event that attracted more than 13,000 average unique viewers.
Held simultaneously in three different Arab sub-regions as part of the qualification process for First Strike MENA, Strike Arabia consisted of three separate tournaments with 291 teams putting their skills to the test in a competitive environment.
RvN, The Ultimates and ArchNemesis emerged as the top three teams in the GCC event while Fox Gaming, Team Majesty, and Alterfox Esports advanced from the North Africa tournament. Anubis Gaming, NASR eSports, and Qlash also qualified in the Levant and Egypt tournament to complete the line-up.
The teams will continue their quest and bid to become champions of their respective sub-region during First Strike MENA, set to take place between 3 and 6 December. The champions of each region will receive $10,000.
Strike Arabia and First Strike MENA, a two-phase event, has been brought to life by Riot Games with the support of Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the main official partner and Logitech, the official Peripheral partner.
With more than 1,746 players participating over three weeks, Strike Arabia showcased the best of the talented VALORANT players from across the MENA region as part of Riot Games’ commitment to provide opportunities and grow the esports landscape.
The entertaining and closely-fought matches were watched live by hundreds of spectators on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube as Riot Games aims to attract and engage with fans.
The GCC event finals, which had teams from the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, attracted a maximum of 1,082 viewers. In contrast, the North Africa tournament finals, which had teams from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, generated a maximum of 3,338 spectators. The Levant and Egypt tournament finals, which had representatives from Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, had a viewership of 1,759.
Following their qualification, RvN team, one of the winners in the GCC region, praised Riot Games for staging Strike Arabia and is looking forward to testing themselves at First Strike MENA.
Team captain Luv Paras, whose also known as Havoc, said “Competing in Strike Arabia was a great experience which was well organised in every aspect. If you wanted support, this was available right away and the rules were super clear.
“One of the most important aspects were the ping issues and Riot Games were able to ensure that the teams wouldn’t be playing against teams from a different region which meant it was fair for everyone. We thoroughly have enjoyed the experience so far and we are grateful to Riot Games for organising this event and providing us with this opportunity.”
Motasem Nimer, NASR eSports Team Manager, said “It is very heartening for the community to see a publisher take the MENA region seriously from an esports perspective right from the launch of the game and would like to thank Riot Games for staging this competition.”
Ali Muslumanoglu, General Manager of Riot Games MENAI, said: “When we launched the Strike Arabia tournament, it was an opportunity for VALORANT players to come together and showcase their skills and attributes in a competitive environment for the first time and qualify for First Strike MENA. During the last three weeks, the matches played have been of the highest level, providing compelling viewing for many of our spectators across the MENA region.
“At the same time, it was also a great learning curve to understand how we can better serve the gamers in the region and explore ways of how we can improve in-game experiences for future tournaments. Hosting competitions like Strike Arabia is just the first step of our journey, and it has given a glimpse of what to expect in the future.
“As we move on to First Strike MENA, the competition will go up a level with the nine best teams fighting it to become the champions in their respective tournament, and we wish the teams the best of luck.”
Fans can watch the First Strike MENA games live on the Valorant_Arabia Twitch channel, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.
