Iași, a major city in eastern Romania, will host the 15th World Esports Championships Finals in 2023. Bali, this year’s host, officially handed over the hosting rights to the Romanian city at the closing ceremony of the 14th edition.

It is the second time Romania will host the International Esports Federation - IESF’s flagship event. The next edition is set to feature over 130 nations and 800 athletes.

“Esports has the power to empower and unite people. The Flag Handover Ceremony from Bali to Iași is a beautiful representation of this and IESF’s vision of a united World Esports. The culturally rich and youth-centric city is ready to welcome the World Esports Family. Iași has our full confidence and support to deliver an exceptional championship in 2023,” said IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski, quoted in the official press release.

In his turn, Iași deputy mayor Daniel Juravle said: “Iași is a dynamic and full of energy city. We have the youngest population in Romania, a creative youth passionate about everything esports entails. As a city that is the heart of culture and history in Romania and, at the same time, an IT&C hub in remarkable growth, we have all the prerequisites to organize the 15th edition of the WE Championships in a memorable way. We are excited to develop the future of the esports industry together with the International Esports Federation!”

Over 600 players from 105 countries competed at the 14th WE Championships across six games: CS:GO, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, eFootball 2023, Tekken 7, and PUBG Mobile. Seven teams emerged triumphant, winning the USD 500,000 prize pool. Indonesia won three of the seven titles and became the 2022 WE Champion Nation.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Iesf.org)