Gamers from the US and Europe compete for a place in major Saudi tournament Gamers8

Professional gamers are battling it out to win a spot at a major esports tournament in Riyadh in August.

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North American teams competing in the video game Rocket League are now taking part in the Gamers Without Borders (GWB) qualifying stage which is held on Monday and Tuesday.

Then, the European stage will kick off on Wednesday and Thursday.

Winning teams will be awarded a place at the Gamers8: The Land of Heroes contest in the Saudi capital that begins on August 24.

The latest edition of Gamers8 will offer a $45 million prize pool, with millions going to humanitarian causes.

In the North American section of the Gamers Without Borders competition, the following teams were invited to compete for a spot at Gamers8: G2 Esports, Complexity, Version1, and Spacestation Gaming.

Additionally, four teams made it to the competition through a qualifying stage: Boulevard, Team Axle, Optic, and KOI.

Half of the teams will be eliminated and the other half will make it through to Gamers8.

Later on in the week, the European invitees will battle it out: Oxygen Esports, G1, German Amigos, and Team Vitality.

Qualifying teams from Europe are: Monkeys, Team BDS, SUHHH, and FUFAXDOP.

Again, four European teams will qualify for Gamers8.

“The upcoming four days of action will provide incredible gaming action – with the top four in each of the North American and European sections eagerly taking their places at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes,” said Faisal bin Homran, head of esports at the Saudi Esports Federation, in a statement.

From a six-week period which began on April 10, GWB is hosting five tournaments across four major gaming titles: StarCraft II, CS:GO (with separate men and women’s events), Rocket League, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.

Winning teams and players from all sports titles advance to the finals at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, which takes place at the purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City from July 6 for eight weeks.

Proceeds from a $10 million pool will be donated to humanitarian aid partners Direct Relief, IMC, UNICEF, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, World Food Program (WFP) and UNHCR.

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