TL;DR
- Riot Games debuts first official League of Legends tournament in MENA region with $850,000 prize pool
- Eight amateur teams from four regional qualifiers compete in Riyadh starting December 5
- Event marks strategic expansion into untapped Middle Eastern esports market
- Broadcast exclusively on Arabic Twitch channel without English translation initially
- Part of broader strategy including dedicated servers and localized game content
Riot Games makes esports history by introducing the inaugural official League of Legends competition across Middle Eastern and North African territories. The Nexus represents a comprehensive three-day entertainment spectacle featuring not only the primary League tournament but also Teamfight Tactics competitive matches, intense 1v1 showdowns, live musical performances, and various interactive fan activities.
This groundbreaking event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city, commencing December 5th. After a decade of League of Legends competitive history, this marks the very first occasion where MENA receives recognition through an officially sanctioned tournament. While the scale remains modest initially, this event serves as the foundational step in Riot’s comprehensive development strategy for cultivating the MENA competitive landscape.
Riot prepares $850,000 for The Nexus League event
The Nexus championship will showcase eight squads that earned participation rights through multiple regional qualification tournaments. Each preliminary competition allocated two available slots for the main event, distributed across the Gulf Cooperation Council Qualifier, Levant Qualifier, North African Qualifier, and Saudi Arabian Qualifier pathways.
Competing organizations consist entirely of amateur rosters originating from MENA territories, now presented with unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate their capability against established international competitors. These teams will battle for portions of the substantial $850,000 prize fund established by Riot Games.
The competition will be exclusively broadcast through Riot’s designatedArabia Twitch channel, with initial indications suggesting no English language interpretation will be available during early broadcasts.
League of Legends continues to expand internationally
Riot maintains officially recognized competitive circuits spanning numerous global territories including North America, European nations, Brazilian markets, Chinese ecosystems, Korean competitions, Turkish leagues, and additional regions. Most established markets operate seasonal championship structures that determine qualification for World Championship events, complemented by developmental tournaments designed to cultivate emerging competitive talent.
The Middle Eastern and North African territory has historically remained excluded from Riot’s worldwide esports dominance initiative. However, with The Nexus tournament establishment, the corporation has implemented the essential preliminary measure toward constructing another potentially robust competitive environment. The event will not only evaluate whether MENA teams possess satisfactory competitive proficiency levels, but also attract fresh audiences to League of Legends esports, thereby establishing another vital community segment.
Given Riot’s concurrent preparations to launch specialized servers and localized gaming experiences for the region, the organization clearly aims to strengthen their market position, which will probably result in additional seasonal championship implementations. Additional Nexus tournament details remain accessiblehere.
Action Checklist
- Monitor Arabia Twitch channel for tournament broadcasts starting December 5
- Research regional qualification tournaments to understand team backgrounds
- Analyze team performance metrics against international competitors
- Track Riot’s server localization announcements for MENA region
- Engage with regional esports communities to understand growth patterns
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » The Nexus is Riot’s first official tournament in the MENA region Riot Games launches historic $850,000 League of Legends tournament in MENA region with strategic expansion plans