Weibo Gaming win Teamfight Tactics tournament at Esports World Cup 2025

It was a game too far for Virtus.pro, who had taken down both EWC 24 grand finalists on the way to the final game. With their well-earned title as giant slayers coming into the final, Weibo Gaming were up for their challenge. (Supplied)
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Updated 16 August 2025
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Weibo Gaming win Teamfight Tactics tournament at Esports World Cup 2025

  • Chinese champions bounce back from EWC 2024 disappointment with first major tournament win

RIYADH: Weibo Gaming have won the Teamfight Tactics tournament at the Esports World Cup 2025 following a 3-1 victory over Virtus.pro in the grand final. Along with the trophy, Weibo Gaming won $150,000 from the $500,000 prize pool.

Weibo Gaming were unbeaten on their way to the grand final after missing out at the quarterfinal stage last year. They beat EWC 2024 finalists T1 on the opening day before sweeping aside Team Vitality to win their group. In the playoffs stage they took down EVOS Esports 2-0 and AEGIS 2-1. The grand final saw the format shift to best of five, and Weibo Gaming defeated Virtus.pro 3-1.

It was a game too far for Virtus.pro, who had taken down both EWC 24 grand finalists on the way to the final game. With their well-earned title as giant slayers coming into the final, Weibo Gaming were up for their challenge.

The grand final provided a great display of tactical play. Weibo Gaming set the marker down in round one with a dominant victory. Virtus.pro reversed the tide to secure a game for themselves in round two. Round three saw the teams forced into a 1v1, and despite leading, Virtus.pro were not able to clinch the win. On match point, Weibo Gaming held on to convert the game into victory.

Yao Chuanheng said: “I am incredibly excited. It’s been a long road for everyone. We’ve done so much, we’ve put in so much work to prepare for this, and we’ve finally done it. So, thank you; thank you to everyone. We are the champions.”

Yin Shengjie was named the Sony MVP (most valuable player), having led the line for his team throughout the event. He won an additional $10,000 and the MVP medal to recognize his achievements.

He said: “I believe this MVP prize doesn’t belong to me alone, but to every single one of Weibo Gaming.”

Weibo Gaming now earn 1,000 Club Championship points to take them up two places to eighth in the table with 1,950 points. The club will be represented in just one more title, Street Fighter 6 in week seven of EWC 25, which means they will need another solid result to climb further up the table. They are, however, out of contention to win the Club Championship.

The second-place finish was huge for the hopes of Virtus.pro as it took them to fourth in the standings and moved them to within just 200 points of Team Vitality in third place.

The loss is Virtus.pro’s third second-place finish this year, which could prove crucial come the end of the Esports World Cup as they will need to lift at least one trophy to be eligible to win the Club Championship. However, with four rosters still due to complete, they still have a decent chance.

Team Liquid, Team Falcons, Team Vitality, Virtus.pro, and Twisted Minds make up the top five in the Club Championship standings at present, and all have a chance at the top prize.

Natus Vincere, currently 23rd in the standings, also have a shot with the remaining games they are competing in. With the clock ticking down, everything is still on the line.

The Esports World Cup continues until Aug. 24 with tournaments across multiple titles, including Crossfire, Counter Strike 2 and Street Fighter 6. 

For more information and tickets, visit esportsworldcup.com. 

The event concludes with the New Global Sport Conference, which is being held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh from Aug. 23-24. NGSC 2025 aims to foster dialogue, drive collaboration, and shape the future of competitive entertainment. For more information and tickets, visit newglobalsportconference.com. 


Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh

Updated 19 December 2025
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Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh

  • Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
  • Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly

RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup. 

It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition. 

Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.

Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.

Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.

They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.

Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.

Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.

Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.

Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.

Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.