After two days of intense competition, the first-ever champions of the inaugural Global Esports Games have emerged.
And staying true to the Global Esports Federation and GEG’s vision of connecting the world through the power of esports, the diversity of the winners — nine member nations walked away with the 12 medals on offer — have made the inaugural Games a truly global celebration of a #worldconnected.
Without further ado, here are the Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games champions.
eFootball 2022
Brazil, widely regarded as the best footballing nation, can now lay claim to also being the best in the virtual version of the Beautiful Game.
And it couldn’t have been scripted any better, with the inaugural eFootball 2022 gold a fight between Brazil and South American rivals Argentina. Imagine Neymar vs Messi, virtual style.
And when the dust settled, it was Brazil’s João Vitor “CSC_jvictor” Lopes who beat Argentina’s Iván Pablo “MelianTheKing” Melian.
Lopes showcased superior gameplay and was calm and patient when making split-second strategic decisions as the 17-year-old eFootball prodigy earned the gold with a 2-0 win.
Despite the traditional Brazil-Argentina rivalry, both Lopes and Melian shared a heartfelt hug, congratulating each other sincerely after the match.
Iran’s Morteza “esultimates” Mohammadi also scored a resounding 2-0 victory against Singapore’s Dennis “DENNISZZ0910” Zhao to take home a bronze medal.
Women’s DOTA 2
Shining a beacon for women esports, the first-ever major international Women’s DOTA 2 final was an electrifying display of skill and teamwork.
Despite losing the first round to Team Great Britain, Team Singapore showed determination and grit to make an astounding comeback to first tie the game 1-1 before winning an 80-minute decider to clinch the gold. Team Mongolia won the bronze medal.
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
In the world of Street Fighter V, Chinese Taipei’s Yu-Lin “GamerBee” Hsiang is widely recognized as one of the world’s top gamers. But for all his talent, a major win on the world stage has proved elusive — until the GEG.
Up against the Dominican Republic’s Saul “MenaRD” Mena, Hsiang prevailed to become the GEG’s first Street Fighter V: Champion Edition gold medallist.
“I feel extremely happy because it’s been a long time since I’ve participated in an offline tournament,” said Hsiang. “Facing the best players in the world and emerging the champion means a lot to me. I want to thank all my friends and my country for their support. Without them, I couldn’t win.”
Hsiang picked Luke against his opponent’s Balrog, who posed a real threat to the veteran throughout the entire match. Despite losing the first game, Hsiang made a comeback and proceeded to win three consecutive games to secure his win.
Mena received the silver medal and Pakistan’s Ahmed “Amu_PS4” Shahid clinched the bronze.
DOTA 2 Open
Team Brazil ended the competition with a convincing 2-0 win against Team Singapore, and in doing so, made history as the first GEG DOTA 2 Open gold medallists.
“Everyone is super happy (about the win),” said team captain Matheus “KJ” Santos. “This is our first time coming so far to this part of the world. There are some players who have never experienced an international LAN so this is something new for them.”
Santos and some of his Brazil teammates have had the experience of playing at the highest level of Dota 2, having featured at The International in October. And they showed their experience and quality throughout the tournament.
What a blast it’s been for the inaugural GEG. Istanbul 2022: we can’t wait.
