RIYADH: Demonstrating elite concentration and consistency, Joona “Serral” Sotala from team Basilisk triumphed in the StarCraft II tournament at the Esports World Cup 2025.
Sotala secured a commanding victory in the grand final against Virtus.pro’s Kim “Classic” Doh-woo in a best-of-nine match. Sotala had already beaten Classic 3-0 earlier in the tournament, when the pair faced off in the group stage.
Showing consistent form and focus, Sotala had remained unbeaten throughout, losing only two maps in the entire tournament. Entering the grand final as favorite, Sotala delivered a display of precise control and dominance, winning 5-2.
Sotala said: “To be honest, after a 2-0 start, I was extremely confident. A couple of hiccups did not bother me too much. It feels absolutely fantastic, this is what I came for, and this is what I’ve got. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Sotala overcame the challenge from 17 other players to win the tournament, claim the $200,000 prize and secure 1,000 Club Championship points for team Basilisk. It also marked Sotala’s third world championship title. He won his first at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice in 2022 and then won again in 2024.
Sotala added: “I improved a lot for this year. I trained hard, I put a lot of effort into it.
“This is the highest achievement you can get. I’m kind of speechless, just incredibly happy.”
The third week of EWC 2025 continues until July 27 with finals across Honor of Kings and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
For more information and tickets, including access to all tournament days and festival experiences, check out esportsworldcup.com.
