Huge Boost For South American Esports With New GEF Festival And Championships
There has been a great deal of talk over the last year or two of what potential there is in the wider South American market in terms of growth for esports, esports betting, content creation, streaming and more.
And now the region will have its own bespoke esports tournament, the South American Esports Championships.
The new tournament has been organised by the Global Esports Federation (GEF), who have opted to run the tournament in parallel with the 2022 South American Games.
The South American Esports Championships will take place from the 2nd to 3rd October 2022 and will be held in Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay.
However, prior to that, the GEF has also announced that there will be a special GEFestival which it calls “a dynamic celebration of esports culture and community esports activation” which will be held during the South American. Youth Games in Rosario, Argentina between April 28th and May 8th.
#WorldConnected
Speaking about the new tournament and festival for South America, the President of the GEF, Chris Chan, remarked:
We are making exciting headway as we continue to bring our global events portfolio to different continents of the world. The South American Esports Championships supports the Global Esports Federation’s mission and cements our commitment to fostering great collaborations across our #worldconnected community to elevate esports on the sport and entertainment world stage.
The new tournament and festival has come about through the GEF’s partnership with ODESUR and the PanAM Esports Development Federation, which was established by the GEF in 2021.
“The South American Esports Championships is the first esports event of a global scale to be held in South America. Alongside the 2022 South American Games, these events amplify Paraguay’s aspiration to [host] more major international events,” stated Camilo Perez Lopez Moreira, the President of ODESUR.
“The partnership with the Global Esports Federation is taking shape, putting together the necessary capabilities and infrastructure to tap into the limitless potential of esports in the region.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Mario Cilenti, the President of the PanAm Esports Development Federation who added:
Esports is gaining a strong footing in South America. The inaugural South American Esports Championships will boost the growth of esports in the region through world-class activation led by the Global Esports Federation.
The GEFestival at the upcoming South American Youth Games, meanwhile, offers our esports community here the first glimpse into the world of the GEF and its many global events that promote inclusion for all in Esports.
Positive News For South American Esports Community
While major esports tournaments have been held in North America, Europe and Asia on a regular basis, in the less well-developed esports regions of the world, such as South America, attracting the big teams has been tricky, especially outside of Brazil.
However, the announcement of this GEFestival and the subsequent South American Esports Championships is a huge boost for the whole South American region, particularly those countries outside of Brazil.
There is a burgeoning esports community in the likes of Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay and anything that can nurture the next generation of esports players from the region is a wise move.