News ESAN Announces 2024 Record-Breaking eSports National Championship with Rs. 2.5M Prize Pool

Kathmandu: The second E-Sports National Championship is scheduled to take place in February (i.e. in the second week of Falgun).

The E-Sports Association of Nepal (ESAN) announced the Championship during a press conference held at the Aloft Hotel. As per the annual calendar of ESAN, the championship has been scheduled for February 20, 21, and 22 (Falgun 8, 9, and 10) in Kathmandu.

ESAN President Anjan Dhamala said the championship would be held in six e-sports categories, including E-Football, Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, Valorant, and Cosplay.

According to ESAN, the selection rounds of the competition will be held online, while the final stage will take place physically at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.

In the final stage, eight players will compete in E-Football. Similarly, 16 teams will compete in PUBG, 2 in Mobile Legends, and four players each in Dota 2, and Valorant will participate in the finals.

ESAN has signed a three-year agreement with Supply Unlimited for the management and marketing of the championship. According to the agreement, Nepal Plays, under Supply Unlimited, will handle the entire management and marketing of the competition.

ESAN President Dhamala said the collaboration with “Nepal Plays” would benefit the development of e-sports. He said they would continue working together with Nepal Plays for the sustainable development of e-sports.

ESAN has already organized various local and national competitions in a short time. E-sports have already become a major revenue-generating sport worldwide, and it holds great potential in Nepal as well,’ said President Dhamala.

The ESAN President also acknowledged the negative perception towards e-sports in society and expressed his hope that the E-Sports National Championship would help to change societal attitudes.

Managing Director of Nepal Plays, Ujjwal Lal Shrestha, said the event would be a milestone in Nepal’s e-sports history. ‘We are committed to advancing the e-sports community, and we aim to make this a milestone event in Nepalese e-sports,’ said Shrestha.

Shrestha also shared plans to develop a gaming culture in Nepal and establish gaming as a career option in the future. According to ESAN, this championship has the highest prize pool in Nepal’s e-sports history.