• The AWC 2021 will feature an immersive virtual concept to offer fans a deeply-engaging experience.
• 8 regions will battle for a slice of the US$500,000 prize pool.

May 12, 2021 – The Arena of Valor World Cup (AWC) will officially return this summer! Organized by Tencent Games and Garena, the AWC 2021 will unite the world’s best Arena of Valor (AOV) teams on the international stage as they compete to be the world’s best and for a slice of the US$500,000 prize pool.

Taking place from June 19 to July 18, the AWC 2021 will be held online to continue delivering exciting and competitive esports content to the AOV community while prioritising the safety of all involved. To leverage the advantages of the digital format, the AWC 2021 will introduce fans to an immersive virtual concept to offer viewers a deeply-engaging experience.

Showcasing the world’s top competitive talent.

The AWC 2021 will continue AOV esports tradition of offering fans a level of competition that is unrivalled in the mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre. This year, the AWC will feature the top teams from 8 regions: Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Vietnam will each be represented by 3 teams – selected from each region’s respective professional league.

The AWC 2021 will consist of four stages in total:

• Group Stage: June 19 to June 27
• Quarter Finals: June 30 to July 4
• Semi Finals: July 10 to July 11
• Grand Final: July 18

The AWC 2021 will have a prize pool of US$500,000, one of the highest international esports prize pools amongst mobile MOBA esports tournaments. The prize pool breakdown includes US$200,000 for the champion and US$110,000 for the first runner-up.

Celebrating AOV esports

The 2021 edition of the AWC will have the theme “Fight Together, Rise Together”, which aims to rally the AOV community to stand together in support of one another during these challenging times. The theme also honors the passionate community of teams, players, and fans who have accompanied AOV throughout the years. With the first AIC having taken place in 2017, AOV recently celebrated its 4th anniversary of esports.

AOV esports events continue to be some of the most popular in mobile esports globally. The last edition of the AWC in 2019 drew more than 74.5 million cumulative views and over 855,000 peak concurrent viewers, an remarkable increase of 126% and 36% compared to the 2018 edition held in the US.

Step into the virtual world

Making full use of its new digital format, the AWC 2021 will offer fans entry into an immersive virtual concept created using a suite of high production technologies. Fans can look forward to a fully virtual stage deployed using real-time rendering. So even though almost all of the teams will be competing from separate regions, the technology will enable the AWC 2021 to bridge the geographical distances between the participants, amplifying the nail-biting intensity of the live battles, and allowing millions of fans all around the world to share in a unified experience.

A ton of high-quality content built on the hugely positive response of the online-only Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC) 2020 will also be developed for the fans in AWC 2021.

Mark your calendars

Fans from anywhere in the world will be able to catch the entire AWC 2021 live online. All of the matches will be broadcast live across a host of streaming platforms and will be accompanied by local commentary in 5 languages – in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese.

About Tencent Games

Tencent Games is the world’s largest gaming platform by operating revenue. As the world-class gaming division of Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700), the company develops and publishes AAA products for hundreds of millions of gamers on the world’s most popular platforms. Tencent has built deep strategic partnerships with Epic Games, Riot, Supercell and other top game companies to bring their popular titles to China, the largest game market in the world. Tencent Games is dedicated to creating interactive entertainment experiences that are high in quality, engaging, and fun for a variety of audiences across a multitude of online game products. The company is based in Shenzhen, China, and Palo Alto, California, US.