Biggest prize pool in 2 years has just come to an end, but no one knew anything about it
Last week, on September 18, a tournament in Saudi Arabia called the Saudi Esports Federation Cup Season 1 came to an end. It featured several players from Europe and the CIS and had a prize pool of $760,000. It was the biggest prize pool at official Dota 2 tournaments since DreamLeague 13: The Leipzig Major ($1,000,000) ended in January 2020.
The vast majority of the Dota 2 audience has never heard of Saudi Esports Federation Cup Season 1, which is not surprising. Saudi Esports of Saudi Arabia organized it, and the coverage was exclusively for the local community.
The winner of this tournament was Team Al-Hilal and included ??Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau, ??Marcus "Ace" Hoelgaard, and ??Erik "tOfu" Engel. The vice-champion was the Al-Shoulla team with ??Tony "No!ob" Assaf, ??Dino "dnz" Šavuk, and ??Gleb "Funn1k" Lipatnikov.
We had an opportunity to talk a little with Gleb and learn more about this tournament:
— How did you know about the tournament, and how did you get in?
In the middle of July, our trainer Mitch (Spider Pigzs) got in touch with a Saudi Esports representative and offered to go to Saudi Arabia for a big tournament. We liked that offer and went to it. However, we had to arrive a month in advance due to some circumstances and spend a week in quarantine. After that, we learned about the local rules: 2 local players must play for the team. So we were joined by Heyman and Badr.
— Did the tournament really have $760,000 in prize money?
Yes, the prize pool was really $760,000. But there are some nuances that I can't talk about.
— What were the conditions for you and the other guys from the EU region?
We were offered a contract with a salary and all our expenses while we were in Saudi Arabia. I don't know about the other teams, but I think the conditions were similar.
— Did you have a direct invitation into the tournament?
Like the other 16 teams, we participated in online qualifications, and 12 teams made it to the main stage of the tournament. In fact, everyone played in the tournament on behalf of local football clubs. They signed contracts with organizations that, in turn, recruited players.