Four titles will be settled at Esports World Cup

PUBG Battlegrounds is back to round out the battle royale action in the Club Championship, and it looks likely to have an enormous impact on the overall standings. (Supplied)
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Updated 15 August 2025
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Four titles will be settled at Esports World Cup

  • Sixth week of the tournament has Team Liquid going into the latest competitions top of the standings

RIYADH: Four competition winners will be declared after the Week 6 Championship Weekend of the Esports World Cup 2025. As the race for the Club Championship heats up, Team Liquid leads the standings.

Rocket League

Rocket League in Week 6 of EWC 25 could produce a winner from anywhere. The EWC 24 winners are here but split across new rosters — two are representing Team Vitality, with the other playing for Karmine Corp — and the field is open for anyone to take the title. There are other key contenders though, such as Team Falcons who, before a ball was hit, were on an 18-match win streak, making them very much the team to beat. In fact, at the past six events Team Falcons have attended, they have won each one.

PUBG Battlegrounds

PUBG Battlegrounds is back to round out the battle royale action in the Club Championship, and it looks likely to have an enormous impact on the overall standings. Both Team Liquid and Team Falcons, the current top two in the Club Championship, are contenders in PUBG, but after two days of action, Falcons have impressed while Liquid have underperformed. Could that end up being crucial in the Club Championship come the end of the weekend?

Other contenders have shown up, with the likes of ROC Esports getting off to a great start and Twisted Minds, who also are still in with a shot at Club Championship glory, starting to heat up as we head towards the grand finals.

Teamfight Tactics

There has been some great action in Teamfight Tactics so far in Week 6, and it is heading for an explosive finish. Team Vitality and Twisted Minds, two teams who were considered top contenders coming into the tournament, were eliminated before the top eight, meaning they take home no Club Championship points from what should have been one of their strongest titles. However, with team Liquid and Team Falcons suffering the same fate, at least the gap to these teams has not been extended.

The 2024 champions Wolves Esports have looked impressive, and are considered favorites again this year, but rivals T1, who lost in last year’s final, will be looking to avenge that loss should the two teams meet again.

Tekken 8

In Tekken 8, the opening day of competition rekindled some rivalries and furthered the battle for regional supremacy. With South Korea and Pakistan considered the top two countries in Tekken 8, everyone had eyes on how each region would fair early on. Impressively, six of the seven South Korean players competing on Day 1 qualified for Stage 2 of the competition, but only two of the five Pakistani players could make it through.

One of those Pakistani players was Arslan Siddique, highly regarded in the scene, and one of the favorites to take the tournament, although he did have to fight through the lower bracket in his group after a loss to South Korean player Jeon Sang-hyun. Can he bounce back and finally take an EWC title or will another competitor take it from him yet again?

Club Championship standings

Heading into the penultimate week, the Club Championship is firming up, with four sides emerging as the most likely to take the grand prize.

Team Falcons and Team Liquid continued their breakaway from the pack in Week 5, and this weekend represents a key opportunity for both clubs, with huge potential for another change at the top of the table. Neither side was able to pick up any points in Teamfight Tactics; but given that Team Liquid is competing in fewer games this week than Team Falcons, it could be a key way for them to stay ahead. Team Falcons are still competing in PUBG, Rocket League, and Tekken 8 this weekend, meaning there are many more chances for them to catch Team Liquid.

In the chasing pack, there are two names to look out for — Virtus.pro and Twisted Minds. Virtus.pro have already secured 200 points from Teamfight Tactics, but PUBG and Rocket League will be the ones to watch, because both clubs are still involved.


Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh

Updated 20 December 2025
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Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh

  • Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties

RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.

The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.

Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.

After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.

The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.

That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.

Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.

Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.

Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.

Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.

The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.

Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.

The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.