The best Honor of Kings teams in the world are at the inaugural Esports World Cup taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to compete in the Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason x Esports World Cup 2024.
From Aug 1 – 4, 12 teams will compete for the lion’s share of the US$3 million prize pool. The winning team will take home US$1 million and secure a spot in the upcoming Honor of Kings Invitational World Championship 2024. The runners-up will take home US$500,000 and likewise, a slot for the World Championship.
James Yang, director of global esports center for Tencent Games, said: “The Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason tournament marks a new chapter in the Esports World Cup with a US$3 million prize pool. Fans all over the world should tune in and catch the exciting and thrilling matches in Riyadh and support local representatives.”
Among them are Honor of Kings Invitational Season 1 champions Vivo Keyd Stars from Brazil, as well as Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2 winners LGD Gaming MY from Malaysia.
Joining them are home ground favorites Team Falcons from Saudi Arabia, S2 runners-up Team Secret, and Last Chance Qualifier winner Weibo Gaming MY from Malaysia.
Watch out for KPL Dream Team
Representing the hopes of China are KPL Dream Team, made up of members from the various teams playing in China’s King Power League. These players were voted in by fans and then picked based on their professional rankings.
The KPL Dream Team is, quite literally, that. You’ve got top laner Peng “Fly” Yunfei, who won the Honor of Kings International Championship 2021 with his then-team QG Happy, Huang “QingRong” Yaoqin, an eStar Pro midlaner who won the KIC 2022 title, and Xu “YiNuo” Bicheng, a bottom laner for AG Super Play who won last year’s KIC 2023.
They will be the team to watch out for, and fans should keep an eye out for their performance to see if they can put aside the KPL team rivalries to work together.
“KPL Dream Team are very good, and we are happy to have a chance against them. However, I don’t want to give my players too much pressure. Doing their best and enjoying the game is good enough,” said LGD Gaming MY’s head coach Lai “Joker” Kok Kiong, who is targeting a grand final slot for his team.
“The only team we are worried about is KPL Dream Team.”
Also battling for the championship are Brazil’s Loops, France’s Team Vitality, Hong Kong’s All Gamers Global, Indonesia’s Kagendra, and Myanmar’s Impunity.
The last slot will go to the winner of the SEA Showdown, Boom Esports from the Philippines.
KPL Dream Team return to the stage to face off against @boomesportsid 💥#HoK Invitational Midseason x #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/C216jNflKs
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) August 1, 2024
Fans should also not rule out Team Falcons, who have the advantage of homeground support. They also feature a talented roster of players, including Abdessamad “Ray” Allouch, considered the best jungler in the MENA region. He had previously played at KIC 2022 with YaLLa Esports.
A Team Falcons spokesperson said, “We want to win, not just compete. The only team we are worried about is the KPL Dream Team; we have played against other teams before in scrims and official matches, so we have a good knowledge of how they play.”
How to watch
The Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason x Esports World Cup will be streamed on Honor of Kings‘ YouTube channel and Twitch.tv.
Group Stage: August 1 to 2, matches start at 12pm (GMT+3)
Format: Teams will be split into two groups of six, with KPL Dream Team and LGD Gaming MY seeded into different groups. Matches are best-of-1, and the top four teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.
Playoffs: August 3 to 4, matches start at 12pm (GMT+3)
Format: Single elimination bracket. Group winners will choose from third or fourth place teams from the other group. Quarterfinals are best-of-3 (bo3), semifinals and grand finals are best-of-5 (bo5).
Team list
- All Gamers Global – Hong Kong, China
- Impunity Esports – Myanmar
- Kagendra – Indonesia
- KPL Dream Team – China
- LGD Gaming MY – Malaysia
- Loops – Brazil
- Team Falcons – Saudi Arabia
- Team Secret – Malaysia
- Team Vitality – France
- Vivo Keyd Stars – Brazil
- Weibo Gaming MY – Malaysia
- SEA Showdown winner: Boom Esports – The Philippines
Be sure to also check out the official Honor of Kings Invitational S2 website for up-to-date results and scores and follow the official social channels:
YouTube: @hokglobalesports2022
Instagram: @hok_global_esports
Facebook: @hokglobalesports
Twitter: @HoKEsports
