Middle Eastern esports company YaLLa Esports has announced a partnership with sports, events and talent management company IMG.
As a result, IMG will become the organisation’s global media rights partner to help expand the reach of Compass, a community-focused Counter-Strike 2 tournament series.
IMG will support YaLLa Esports as the organisation expands into organising and operating esports events in addition to focusing on growing the esports industry in the United Arab Emirates. Support will range from creating job opportunities and allowing local teams to compete against greater opposition.
The Compass tournament circuit is a new series that commenced its qualification phase earlier this month. Teams participating in the qualifiers will compete for $25,000 (~£20,500) in prize money while the remaining $400,000 (~£329,532) will act as the prize pool for the LAN final scheduled to take place in June 2024.
YaLLa Esports isn’t the only partner of IMG. In March 2023, the company renewed its commercial rights partnership with tournament organiser PGL until 2025. Elsewhere, it joined forces with the Global Esports Federation for the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships in August 2022.
IMG becomes the 24th partner of YaLLa Esports, joining the likes of Kuwait-based esports organisation Zain Esports and Saudi Arabian video game retailer Tokyo Games on its roster.
Teemu Koski, Vice President of Media at YaLLa Esports, spoke on the deal: “We at YaLLa Esports could not be happier to have a powerhouse like IMG supporting our journey to build a relevant global media rights offering with Compass at the helm.
“This partnership is a huge step in the right direction to create a long-lasting and sustainable esports IP from the region that honours the heritage of local esports culture and brings it to the world.”
