News DeskDubai, UAE – Following a successful inaugural season in 2024, YaLLa Esports, the leading esports media company and tournament organizer in the United Arab Emirates, has announced the return of YaLLa Compass in 2025. The tournament will expand its reach with two tier 1 LAN events planned across the MENA region, offering one of the highest prize pools in Counter-Strike 2 at $1.5 million, a significant increase from the $450k prize pool in 2024.
The 2024 YaLLa Compass season attracted a massive global following, achieving a combined viewership of 50 million and over 5 million watch hours across all broadcasts. The tournament broke geographic boundaries with 30 global broadcasts in 15 languages, appealing to a truly international audience.
“The rapid growth of esports in MENA has created a unique opportunity for brands to connect with passionate and engaged audiences,” said Klaus Kajetski, founder and CEO of YaLLa Esports. “We proudly stand as a local company that delivered an esports event of this scale meeting international standards. By collaborating with both local and global brands, we reached mutual goals and made a significant impact for all our stakeholders, not only in the gaming industry but also across local startups, tech talents, and pop culture enthusiasts.”
The first LAN event drew an enthusiastic crowd of over 2,000 visitors, creating an electrifying atmosphere. The competition featured some of the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 athletes, including 12 global elite teams and a local Abu Dhabi team, Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Open qualifiers for Compass will begin on July 29th, with two additional open qualifiers scheduled for Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. Teams will compete in a closed qualifier stage leading up to the first LAN event, which will be held at prominent locations in the MENA region in Q2 2025.
