Abhinav Tejan and Ibrahim Gulrez, two of India’s top esports athletes, will represent their country and compete for honour in the 15th World Esports Championships (WEC) starting on August 26 in Iasi, Romania.
With more than 130 nations taking part in eFootball, DOTA 2, Tekken7, Mobile Legends, PUBG: Mobile, and CS:GO, the WEC 2023 will be the biggest edition of the competition.
While Gulrez will compete in eFootball 2023 for a piece of the massive prize pool of 4.12 crore rupees (USD 500,000), Tejan will be vying for the Tekken 7 crown.
“My aim is to showcase the potential of Indian Esports on the international platform by taking home the medal,” Tejan stated.
Tejan and Gulrez Represents Indian esports
Tejan will make his sixth appearance for India in the renowned competition as he opens his campaign against Colombia, Egypt, and Turkmenistan on the first day of the group rounds.
On the second day, Tejan, who won the South Asia Regional Finals of the Tekken World Tour 2022 and the India Premiership 2023 this year, will compete against Bulgaria and Turkey.
The best-of-three system will be used for the Tekken 7 group stage matchups.
Tejan said, “I have been focusing on studying my opponents, analyzing their gameplay patterns, and finding ways to counter their strategies.”
Gulrez will be driven to demonstrate his talent in his tournament debut.
On the first day of competition, he will face off against Kazakhstan, Portugal, and Mali before facing off against Uruguay and Belgium the following day. The group stage matches for eFootball 2023 will be played in best-of-two series.
For the Tekken 7 and eFootball 2023 championships, more than 100 athletes will be split into sixteen groups, with the top three competitors from each group moving on to the playoffs.
“This is a dream come true for me. I have worked tirelessly to refine my skills, and the opportunity to showcase them at the World Esports Championships is a surreal moment,” Gulrez said.
Despite beginning the year in the losers bracket, both athletes qualified for the 15th WEC by winning the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2023, hosted by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).
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