ESL One Birmingham and SuperDome receive external funding

30 January 2024

Our first publication of the new year was an article about what’s to come for esports in the UK in 2024, which includes the first ESL One event in the UK in four years and the 2024 League of Legends World Championship Final, to take place at the O2 Arena in London. Two of the major esports events coming to the UK this year have now been revealed as recipients of external funding. Both a new SuperDome tournament and the previously mentioned ESL One Birmingham will be receiving funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), a combined authority for the West Midlands metropolitan county and part of the UK government.

ESL One Birmingham (22 – 28 April, 2024)

One of the biggest announcements in terms of 2024 esports events in the UK was made by ESP FACEIT Group, the esports tournament organiser responsible for the Dota 2 ESL One events. From April 22nd to April 28th, the twelve best Dota 2 teams in the world will travel to the West Midlands to compete for the million-dollar prize pool of ESL One Birmingham. The tournament will take place at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham and the organisation has received funding worth £ 145.000 from the West Midlands Combined Authority and the UK government.

SuperDome (5 – 8 September, 2024)

Another big event for esports in the UK this year will be the SuperDome tournament that is set to take place from September 5th to September 8th at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. The organisation has not yet revealed which game will feature during this event, though there are rumours that it will be VALORANT, seeing as SuperDome UK will be played right after VALORANT’s Champions event in August. In any case, the WMCA and the UK government have reserved £ 250.000 in funding for SuperDome.

Where is the money coming from?

As you might remember, the 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham, the West Midlands and London. This was actually the first edition of the Games that also involved an official esports championship, featuring Dota 2, Rocket League and eFootball as games. The funding for ESL One Birmingham and SuperDome is part of a total of £ 3 million that is being invested by the WMCA and the UK government in regional sporting, music and cultural events. The £ 3 million represents a portion of the roughly £ 70 million underspend from the previously mentioned 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“We saw during the 2022 Commonwealth Games – where record numbers of visitors and businesses came to the West Midlands – the hugely important role culture and sport play in our regional economy”, says Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, “The Commonwealth Games legacy funding is designed to enable the region to carry on that momentum. We received a healthy interest in the fund from applicants across the West Midlands and have selected an exciting calendar of inclusive and sustainable events set to engage our diverse communities and continue driving tourism and investment into the region over the coming years.”