August was a big month for us, with the event of the decade taking place. The Decade Awards were held during the closing weekend of the Esports World Cup, with the biggest contributors to the esports industry over the past 10 years being honoured in Riyadh.
From legendary players to broadcast icons and companies that have supported the industry, the best of the best were honoured in an award ceremony that followed the biggest event of the year, the Esports World Cup.
As you might expect the EWC and Decade Awards dominated the news of August, so read on to get the lowdown on everything that has happened.
Industry News
Nadeshot named Esports Personality of the Decade
As one of the most influential voices both in game and out, Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag won the Esports Personality of the Decade, thanks to his years of service to the industry. As one of the greatest CoD pros of all time, his legacy was already secured before he left the competitive field, but going on to found 100 Thieves and pioneer a number of initiatives now standard in the industry only increased his standing in the space. Coupled with an impressive drive to create his own content, this award shows just how influential he has been in the world of esports.
xQc is the best Streamer of the Decade
Félix “xQc” Lengyel scooped the Streamer of the Decade award, thanks to his impressive resume that includes some of the most watched broadcasts in history. His years of controversial takes, hilarious antics and engaging conversation earned him one of the closest fought awards of the event, and cemented his name in the history books.
Faker crowned as the best PC player of the last 10 years
Could it have really been anyone else? As the undisputed GOAT of League of Legends, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok won the PC Player of the Decade award, further cementing his legacy as the greatest gamer of all time. Having won four world championships in the biggest esport in the world during the last 10 years, there really was no one else who could challenge him, and there likely will never be another PC player with that level of dominance. His teams, or more specifically the T1 League of Legends teams, were also crowned as the Team of the Decade.
Shotzzy claims Controller Player of the Decade award
Despite a much shorter career than his PC counterpart, Faker, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro was crowned as the controller player of the decade thanks to his dominant run through the Call of Duty scene that has seen him win three world championships and become the new face of the most storied organisation in the game. He beat out other legendary players to claim the award, and chances are his legacy will only continue to grow in the coming years.
Riot Games scoops multiple awards
The big winner at the Decade Awards was Riot Games, with the company, and it’s flagship game League of Legends, scooping three different awards. Riot themselves took home Publisher of the Decade, while the 2017 League of Legends World Championship was crowned as the best event of the last 10 years. Then, League of Legends was crowned as the Esports Game of the Decade, a truly deserved award for the game that dominates almost every metric in the industry.
Team Liquid is the Organisation of the Decade
It would likely be impossible to list all of the championships Team Liquid has won over the last 10 years without missing at least a few, which is why they managed to pick up the Esports Organisation of the Decade award in Riyadh. The organisation has been at the top of multiple games for the past 10 years, winning multiple championships and constantly breeding success. Their impressive facilities and commitment to players and staff has made them the gold standard for how an organisation should be run.
More awards handed to industry legends
The Decade Awards honoured the best of every sector in the world of esports, with multiple legends walking way with a trophy or two. Intel was named Esports Commercial Partner of the Decade, Liquipedia took Esports Content and Coverage Platform of the Decade, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut won the Esports Breakthrough Player of the Decade, the Esports Coach of the Decade was Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun and Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere won the Esports On-Air Talent of the Decade award.
750 million people tune into the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup came to an end in August, and boasted some impressive stats, with more than 750 million viewers across the seven-week competition. Over 350 million hours of content were watched throughout the competition, with more than three million people attending in person. The event was an undoubted success, with 25 different tournaments giving thousands of players the chance to compete on the biggest stage in esports.
The Esports Nations Cup arrives in 2026
At the New Global Sports Conference in Riyadh, the Esports World Cup Foundation revealed the Esports Nations Cup, a new competition set to debut next year that will see national teams compete for glory on a major stage. While nation based esports competition have been tried before, this event looks like it could very well be the first to draw in true top tier talent, with the EWCF working with publishers, and crucially organisations, to make sure the event does not clash with traditional events and will not negatively impact any players who decide to compete in it. The likes of Ubisoft, EA, Krafton and Tencent are all on board for the first event.
Competitive Results
Image Credit: Esports World Cup
Team Falcons win the Esports World Cup for a second year
Team Falcons has once again won the Esports World Cup Club Championship, beating second place Team Liquid by 1000 points. With teams competing in 22 of the 25 competitions, the most of any Club at the Esports World Cup, Falcons were certainly the favourites heading in, but a slow start saw the likes of Team Vitality and Team Liquid top the table throughout the opening weeks. However, by Week 7, Falcons were in prime position and some underwhelming performances by their two main rivals sealed the win for them with a couple of days to spare.
ManuBachoore wins FC Pro World Championship
Team Liquid’s Manuel “ManuBachoore” Bachoore claimed victory in the FC Pro World Championship at the Esports World Cup, beating Team Vitality’s Brice “Brice” Masson 5-3 in the grand final. Not only did the win net Bachoore $150,000, it also proved crucial in the Club Championship, with this result being the difference between second and third place for the two clubs involved.
Twisted Minds claim back to back battle royale EWC trophies
Twisted Minds made a late charge for the EWC Club Championship, with back to back wins on the battle royale stage at the Esports World Cup. The organisation first took the win in Call of Duty Warzone, with a truly feelgood story for three veteran players who had never had LAN success before. Then the organisation’s PUBG Battlegrounds team took a dominant win the following week, to give the org 2000 Club Championship points late in the race and eventually secure them a fourth place finish.
Team Spirit wins IEM Cologne
Away from the Esports World Cup, the biggest Counter-Strike event of the year, IEM Cologne, took place with Team Spirit emerging victorious. Spirit looked unstoppable during the tournament, with Danil “donk” Kryshkovets claiming a much deserved MVP award for his performance. EFG also announced that IEM Cologne 2026 will be a CS2 Major.
The Dota 2 International headlines September’s events
With the Esports World Cup now in the books, regular service returns to the world of esports, with standalone events returning to the headlines. The biggest coming up in September is the Dota 2 International, which will take place in Hamburg, Germany. The event is the world championship for Dota 2, and will feature 16 of the best teams in the world competing for the title.
And Finally…
Battlefield could be back?
Battlefield is one of the OG esports, with the series having a long legacy of competition throughout its early years. Iconic names such as Dignitas were born in Battlefield servers, but recent years have not been kind to the series, especially in the competitive space. But now, Battlefield 6 is just about the hottest thing in the world of games and could signal a return for the competitive scene. With two record-breaking weekend betas that saw 92,351,578 hours played last month, this could be the return competitive Battlefield fans have wanted for years.
