The International Esports Federation (IESF) held a press conference today with the future host city of the 15th World Esports Championships Finals, Iași, Romania. This will be the second time the WE Championships will be staged in Romania after the country’s capital Bucharest hosted IESF’s flagship event in 2013.
Iași is the second-largest city in Romania and is home to multiple well-known universities. As the most youthful city in Romania, Iași will provide a fresh take on the WE Championships, offer new and exciting participation opportunities and bring together the World Esports Family once again for esports’ biggest event.
IESF President Vlad Marinescu said: “We are so excited to bring the World Esports Championships back to Romania. The WE Championships have a rich history of generating international exposure for esports and uniting the World Esports Family, and the 2023 edition is expected to be the largest edition ever with at least 130 countries participating. We are thrilled that we can continue to provide our athletes with the ultimate environment to perform at their full potential on the world stage.
Deputy Mayor of Iași Daniel Juravle joined the press conference and said: “Iasi is the youngest city in Romania and the largest after the country’s capital. We are ready to host the World Esports Championships, an event that will bring great energy to our city and turn it into the capital of esports. We are waiting for gamers from all over the world with open arms. Together we can create the future of this industry. We will make sure that you have fun and that you will make history in this great city.”
IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said: “We are very grateful for the support and collaboration of Deputy Mayor Jurvale and the local organizers. I have no doubt that Iași will be an amazing host for the 15th WE Championships Finals. The thriving university city of Iași perfectly embodies IESF’s values of respect and friendship, so we look forward to what’s in store in 2023.”
Bali, Indonesia is currently preparing to host the 2022 WE Championships, set to take place from 27 November to 9 December and is expected to be the largest and most geographically diverse installment of the event, featuring a record $500,000 total prize pool and a new Women’s Featured Division.
About the International Esports Federation
IESF is the uniting body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 120 Member Federations across five continents. IESF brings together all esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF WE Championships is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of esports governance worldwide.
