Alphari, Vedius, Tadpole, crr – Wales has produced some top talent in esports, but who will be the next stars to emerge from the country?
Esports organisation Esports Wales is hoping to find out. It’s hosting online tournaments known as the Welsh Masters for the third time, in order to find top talent in a variety of games.
The Welsh Masters will crown the best esports players in Wales across some of the most competitive games, including CSGO, Rocket League, eFootball (aka PES), Tekken 7 and Dota 2.
The top players in the tournament will each qualify for Welsh selection and will join a squad to work toward competing against Esports Wales’ international tournaments, such as the 2022 WE Championships, European Championships and the recently announced Commonwealth Esports Championships.
The news comes as the Commonwealth Games announce the three games at the Commonwealth Esports Championships: Dota 2, Rocket League and eFootball (aka PES).
The British Esports Association recently announced it is responsible for coordinating and supporting European esports teams at the upcoming Commonwealth Esports Championships from August 6th to 7th 2022.
Mark Weller of Vexed Gaming will be team manager for England, while John Jackson and Esports Wales will be selecting the Welsh players, and James Hood and Esports Scotland will be choosing the Scottish players.
“The Welsh Masters has developed over the last few years, and it’s going to be a prime tournament for scouting players for the national team.”
John Jackson, Esports Wales
Welsh esports players can sign up for the following Welsh Masters here:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Welsh Masters
- Rocket League Welsh Masters
- eFootball Welsh Masters
- Tekken 7 Welsh Masters
- Dota 2 Welsh Masters
Esports Wales CEO and founder John Jackson said: “The Welsh Masters has developed over the last few years, and it’s going to be a prime tournament for scouting players for the national team.”
Esports Wales added in a press release: “This opportunity offers players from all skill levels the chance to experience a real tournament and to represent Wales in 2022.
“This will be an event that will pit teams and individuals from around Wales against each other in a variety of games not only to show who is the best in Wales, but with a chance to be written in history as an esports player that put Wales on the map.”
Esports Wales aims to provide opportunities for esports talent in Wales to be scouted by professional teams through hosting and sponsoring tournaments nationwide, with the focus always on Wales. It aims to improve the standard of Welsh esports and increase its level of awareness in Wales.
Entries are now open for the Welsh Masters and players and teams can apply on the Esports Wales website.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
