The Saudi Esports-backed organisation, Team Falcons, has secured the first trophy at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. The three-man team consisting of Biffle, Shifty, and Soka stormed to success against 21 other teams, beating the likes of Fnatic, Guild Esports, and Natus Vincere to the punch to secure a $200,000 prize and 1,000 Club Points.
This was the first trophy to be handed out at the prestigious event, which boasts a whopping $60 million prize pool. With more than 20 esports games being showcased at the event, it’s on track to become the most historic ‘tournament’ in the industry’s relatively short history.
The First Champions
There were some murmurings in the community when the first Esports World Cup trophy went to a Saudi-backed organisation, but there’s no denying that the trio at Team Falcons played remarkably well. In the Group Stage of the Warzone portion of the EWC, Team Falcons managed to secure a staggering 255.2 points, putting them more than 100 points ahead of the runner-up organisation, SvGe Esports.
As the finals closed in, Team Falcons retained that lead, putting up a total score of 227.9, sitting 20 points ahead of Fnatic – and almost 200 points in front of Team Heretics, the bottom-most team in the table. On July 5, the news hit social circles that the Falcons had won every one of the three matches they’d entered, putting up some of the best plays in the tournament.
Biffle has long been considered one of the best Warzone players in the world. He won the World Series of Warzone 2023 Global Finals alongside Shifty and Sage, netting a $100,000 prize. He’s been competing in Warzone since the scene opened its doors to the idea of an esports ecosystem, and he shows no signs of slowing.
Tomorrow, we’ll see the League of Legends Grand Final unfold at the Esports World Cup – so stay tuned.
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