Johannes Prandl

The International 2026 (TI 2026) is currently underway in Shanghai — and if you’re a true Dota 2 fan, this is definitely an event you don’t want to miss. After 109 games in the group stage, we’ve already witnessed plenty of upsets, pocket strats, and unorthodox picks. More importantly, many clear trends have emerged around … Continued The post The International 2026 meta: It’s all about tanks, healing, and late games appeared first on Esports Insider.

“There were many times where we would have to just throw everything away, like literally everything,” recalls Bowen “Monsoon” Fuller, his voice unwavering. The 28-year-old Apex Legends World Champion has come a long way from where he was, but there’s humility behind every word he utters.   “We’d go to a flea market for the last … Continued The post “A kid from nowhere”: Monsoon on homelessness, escapism, and becoming a world champion appeared first on Esports Insider.

Following OpTic Gaming’s successful defense of its Esports World Cup title in Paris, the curtain has fallen on the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 season. The latest installment of the Call of Duty League (CDL) featured everything from a much-needed return to Europe to several teams consistently battling at the top of the table … Continued The post What we learned from the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 esports season appeared first on Esports Insider.

The International 2026 (TI 2026) has already delivered plenty of surprises, cutting the field down to the final eight teams after an unpredictable group stage and elimination round. Even though some of my earlier TI 2026 predictions didn’t pan out, I still finished in the 91st percentile – so I’m taking another shot at ranking … Continued The post The International 2026 main event predictions: who will claim the Aegis? appeared first on Esports Insider.

Few moves in modern Counter-Strike have generated as much intrigue as prolific Ukrainian AWPer Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev’s move to BC.Game. After years of dominance with NAVI and a prolonged absence from the professional circuit, questions about s1mple’s future had already begun to mount over when – and where – the undisputed GOAT of CS:GO would … Continued The post Why s1mple’s BC.Game deserves to be taken seriously appeared first on Esports Insider.

The Esports World Cup has been a heavily debated event within the FGC. A segment of the esports scene that’s allergic to cringe and intoxicated by raw passion, the FGC has been largely against the EWC for quite some time. But is it actually a good thing for the fighting game scene? The FGC prides … Continued The post Some are asking, is the Esports World Cup bad for the FGC? The real question: Does it even matter? appeared first on Esports Insider.

The art of the pop-off has been perfected in Super Smash Bros. Melee. A grassroots scene known for its grit and passion, the sets can get quite intense, leading to some intense celebrations once someone beats a longtime rival or wins an incredibly difficult match. One of the most iconic pop-off-ers in Smash is Juan … Continued The post Fainting at Supernova, distracting opponents at CEO 2026: Have Hungrybox’s pop-offs gone too far? No appeared first on Esports Insider.

For the first time in Dota 2 history, zero Chinese teams have qualified for the top eight of The International, with Xtreme Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Team Resilience exiting TI15 in the group stage. This stings even more, as this year’s iteration is being hosted in Shanghai – their home turf. And though China’s absence … Continued The post China’s Dota 2 teams are eliminated from TI15, and even worse, they don’t seem to care appeared first on Esports Insider.

Women make up almost half of the world’s gaming population, yet they hold only about 5% of competitive and professional roles in esports. The gap becomes even more jarring at the upper echelons, when the highest-earning women in esports don’t even crack the top 600 all-time earners list. While female-only tournaments have grown significantly, boasting … Continued The post Are women actually worse at esports – or is it just the money? appeared first on Esports Insider.

In a week where LinkedIn users rejoiced at the opportunity to ‘report AI slop’, you’ll have to excuse the slightly Star Wars-sounding headline. But I bring positive news. We’re delighted to report another monumental victory for humankind against the robots. Our expert, Craig Robinson, came out swinging and landed his first fictional accumulator of the … Continued The post AI vs expert: The human strikes back heading into LEC week four appeared first on Esports Insider.

Recently, PUBG MOBILE‘s attempts to grow its competitive footprint in Western Europe saw it sign a partnership with G2 Esports and launch an ambassador program, revealing German content creator Janicka Gaming as the first ‘dedicated ambassador’ for Western Europe. Janička is no stranger to PUBG MOBILE’s European community, having been in the partner program before … Continued The post Janicka Gaming on bridging PUBG MOBILE’s community and its esports scene appeared first on Esports

Gen Z, which includes those born between 1997 and 2007, is increasingly turning to sports betting for income, according to a recent survey. The rise coincides with increased esports wagering, particularly driven by greater opportunities to gamble on prediction markets.  According to a survey conducted by wealth and savings platform Betterment, 26% of Gen Z … Continued The post Gen Z increasingly sees esports betting as financial planning appeared first on Esports Insider.

With his Gekko pick during Paper Rex’s VCT Pacific Stage 2 series against Team Secret on July 31st, Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto has become the first player to have played every single VALORANT agent on a VCT stage at least once. He has undoubtedly proven himself as one of the game’s greatest flex players. But how … Continued The post How well did Paper Rex f0rsakeN perform on each VALORANT agent? appeared first on Esports Insider.

Every region has a game that dominates its gaming ecosystem. Korea has League of Legends. Pakistan has Tekken. Japan has Street Fighter. Southeast Asia has Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Europe has Counter-Strike 2. Meanwhile, China has a strong footprint in all games, but there is one game that they are miles ahead of the next … Continued The post “I think we can close the gap”: The Honor of Kings World Cup showed China that some countries are not far behind appeared first on Esports Insider.

Rasmus “Caps” Winther is rumored to be the next player inducted into the League of Legends Hall of Legends (HoL), following Faker and Uzi. If the rumors are accurate, few could argue against his selection. Caps is the greatest Western player in League history, having won MSI, reached two Worlds finals, and collected more European … Continued The post Who should be the next Hall of Legends inductee after Caps? appeared first on Esports Insider.

Dota 2’s The International is always difficult to predict, but this year may have one of the most volatile fields yet. No single team feels untouchable. The defending champions remain strong but inconsistent, while last year’s runner-up has fallen off the map, and a newly formed team of rejects enters as the tournament favorite. Meanwhile, … Continued The post The International 2026 predictions: which teams will make it to the playoffs? appeared first on Esports Insider.

G2 Esports established a partnership with PUBG MOBILE Esports last month, focusing on Western Europe. The initiative spans creator activations, grassroots competition, and looks to grow the region through the 2026 PUBG MOBILE Club Open (PMCO) Western Europe Wildcard. Together, G2 and PUBG MOBILE Esports have also launched an ambassador program, with JanickaGaming becoming the … Continued The post G2 Esports CEO Alban Dechelotte: “We see huge long-term potential” for PUBG MOBILE in Western

Riftbound has certainly blown up its projects and initiatives with Unleashed, and it’s all manifesting around the Vendetta launch. Last week, we spoke to T1 about the organization entering Riftbound, and one thing that stood out about their efforts is that they wanted to treat it like a grassroots project. They are certainly not wrong. … Continued The post From VCT Game Changers to Riftbound: One organizer’s plans to add team competition and inclusivity to Riftbound appeared first on Espor

The Dota 2 scene was unpleasantly greeted with groundbreaking news days before The International 15, with LGD Gaming’s prodigy Santiago “TaiLung” Agüero Gustavo getting banned from the tournament and all future PGL events for life. The 17-year-old Peruvian was heavily suspected of potential competitive integrity issues – so bad that his own team had to … Continued The post “He just thought he wouldn’t get caught”: Dota 2 coach Astini on the larger match-fixing, cheating problems

The Esports World Cup (EWC) mega-event is well underway in Paris, boasting an eye-watering $75 million prize pool, spread across 25 tournaments and 24 titles. As one of the most significant remaining events, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) runs from Aug. 12–23, with 32 of the best teams lighting up the servers. With hundreds, if not thousands, … Continued The post Can Counter-Strike 2 break the EWC 2026 viewership record? appeared first on Esports Insider.

Dota 2 Fantasy returns for The International 2026 (TI 2026), giving everyone another way to follow the action and earn rewards throughout the tournament. Available directly inside the Compendium, Fantasy lets you build a roster from competing players and score points based on their in-game performances. Here’s how to play Dota 2 Fantasy, including the … Continued The post Dota 2 Fantasy picks for TI 2026: best players, Emblems, and more appeared first on Esports Insider.

The chess category at the Esports World Cup has a $1.5 million USD prize pool. That is almost on par with the Grand Chess Tour’s prize pool of $2,000,000 USD, which is dispersed over the course of six tournaments. The EWC is giving it away in one.  That places the EWC among the world’s best-funded … Continued The post Chess should be played over the board at the Esports World Cup appeared first on Esports Insider.

This year’s Esports World Cup (EWC) saw OpTic Gaming complete a successful title defense, much to the delight of the capacity crowd in attendance. After winning in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 last year, the North American organization successfully lifted the trophy in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.  While success at Call of … Continued The post Five Shotzzy plays that guided OpTic Gaming to Esports World Cup success appeared first on Esports Insider.

BLAST Premier returns to Portugal, but this time it’s breaking new ground. After three stops in Lisbon, BLAST Open Porto 2026 will take the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 teams to Porto for the first time – all fighting for a cut of a $1.1 million prize pool. Taking place right after the Esports World Cup … Continued The post BLAST Open Porto 2026 preview: schedule, format, teams, and more appeared first on Esports Insider.

The question of how much freedom versus top-down control game publishers should implement in their respective esports ecosystems is often raised in discussions of esports sustainability and profitability.  However, as showcased by the recent disasterclass of a Grand Final during the VALORANT Challengers Americas Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), this question also carries relevance in the … Continued The post “Unacceptable conditions”: The VALORANT Challengers Americas LCQ disaster highlights