IESF readies for World Championship in Romania

In 2008 the International Esports Federation (IESF) was founded by nine Esports associations across Europe and Asia. Less than 14 years later, the IESF consists of 130 member nations with all six continents well represented.

The passion for Esports has grown quickly and steadily the past decade-plus since the first IESF World ESports Championship was held in South Korea in 2009. This year will see the 14th edition, and will be held in Iași, Romania.

Around the Rings had the pleasure of speaking exclusively with IESF President Vlad Marinescu to discuss the upcoming World Championship, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) commitment to Esports and what the future holds.

Tell Around the Rings about the upcoming 2023 World Esports Championships in Romania.

The World Esports (WE) Championships is IESF’s flagship event. We unite the World Esports Family every year for two weeks of elite Esports competition – including the most popular games such as CS:GO, Tekken 7, eFootball, Dota 2 and more. The WE Championships is the only Esports competition where gamers compete under their national flags and represent their countries. This year, we’re very excited to have 120 countries set to compete in Iași, Romania, a new record for the WE Championships. We also plan to expand the Women’s CS:GO tournament from four to 10 teams, as empowering female gamers and inclusion in Esports remains a top priority.

What made Romania a good candidate in the eyes of the IESF to host the WE Championships?

Romania has a strong passion for Esports and IT. This year will actually be the second time we’ve had the WE Championships in Romania after Bucharest hosted in 2013. Iași is an incredibly youthful city with strong cultural and historical roots, making it an ideal candidate to host the 15th edition of the WE Championships. The Deputy Mayor of Iași has said that hosting the WE Championships can transform Iași into “the capital of Esports,” so we truly believe in the city’s efforts to become a global Esports hub. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Iași and those who believe in this vision. IESF also believes that Romania will undoubtedly leave a positive impact on the future generation of gamers in the country, and we are excited to be a part of this community.

What is the selection process for the future Championships? What countries have expressed interest?

In order to ensure fairness and promote transparency, taking into consideration the mega-interest in Esports today, an open call for interested host cities is currently underway for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the World Esports championships. We’ve received interest from several cities in diverse regions – which is an incredible reflection of the global nature of Esports.

Serving as a host city for the WE Championships provides cities with an opportunity for positive international exposure to help boost its brand as an ideal host city and an international travel destination, particularly to a young demographic. The World Championships will be promoted for several months during the national qualifiers and then the continental stage, before reaching the live finals.

It also provides positive economic impact through an increase in tourism. Finally, it advances the development of Esports in the region and leaves a lasting legacy on the esports community.

We invite all interested cities to view the Open Call Guidelines to learn more about the requirements for hosting and submit their information before the open call closes on April 30, 2023.

What global markets do you think are crucial to the future of the IESF and Esports?

The IESF is currently composed of 130 Member Federations across six continents, so we must find ways to serve all of these global markets and bring together all of the Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The U.S. has already established a vibrant Esports market, so we need to continue to find innovative ways to boost the Esports industry there. China is another market we also would like to find ways to collaborate with and possibly host future events there. The Asian market is an important one for us. We have successfully hosted the 2022 WE Championships in Bali and experienced how fast developing and popular Esports is in the region. India is also rapidly becoming a major hub for Esports, with new investments being made in the country, so it is also vital for us to grow our presence there. Having a presence in all emerging Esports scenes around the world is an integral part of IESF’s mission and will ultimately be beneficial for the future of Esports.

The IOC recently announced the Olympic Esports Series 2023, with the finals in Singapore in the summer. How did the involvement with the IOC come about?

I’m thrilled to see the growing embracement of Esports in the Olympic Movement, however, IESF is not involved in any of the planning or game title selection for the Olympic Esports Series.

Our focus remains on our flagship event that is in its 15th year and successfully unites the holistic demographic of Esports to compete in the most popular Esport titles. Regional qualifiers for the WE Championships are about to get underway, and we are very excited to continue our rich and successful history of hosting elite Esports competitions. Additionally, we will hold the annual World Esports Summit later this year, which gathers key stakeholders from the Esports industry for open discussions on the past, present and future of Esports.

Can you envision Esports in the Olympics one day? Is that a goal of the IESF?

I would love to see Esports featured on the world’s largest sports stage. I firmly believe total unity among the Esports ecosystem is needed to elevate Esports and reach its full potential. What makes Esports so powerful is that it has the ability to be completely inclusive. For example, the WE Championships are a gender-equal competition. Our goal at IESF is to continue to generate international exposure for Esports through our youth-centric and inclusive events and competitions. And also to provide gamers with access to the same facilities and education as traditional-sport athletes because, ultimately, I believe in the Sport values and the Olympic Values which need to be instilled in all the youth, and Esports is an optimal catalyst for this exchange.