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Smash TOs retract L4st sexual assault allegations, MenaRD finally wins a Dominican Republic SF6 tourney: FGC’s weird week leading to Mixup 2026

Last week, we saw a previous king crowned yet again, a rising star challenge the throne, and some good *ss Tekken. However, what seemed like an exciting week was marred by yet another reminder that the Smash community still has its share of weird people. While the allegations were retracted by the tournament organizers, people … Continued The post Smash TOs retract L4st sexual assault allegations, MenaRD finally wins a Dominican Republic SF6 tourney: FGC’s weird week leading to Mixup 2026

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CS2 drives bulk of $36 million esports volume last week on Kalshi

Counter-Strike 2 accounted for nearly two-thirds of all esports prediction market volume on Kalshi this week, with League of Legends the clear second, and Valorant and Dota 2 both posting solid numbers. The data pulled is from 1-7 June 2026. Kalshi’s esports markets generated a total of $36.18 million in total contract volume, across 408 … Continued The post CS2 drives bulk of $36 million esports volume last week on Kalshi appeared first on Esports Insider.

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VALORANT continues to be afraid of exploring Nanobomb even during Pride Month

Pride Month is a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, and many games find ways to take part. Riot is under fire once more after the Give Back V26 bundle in VALORANT leaked during Pride Month, pushing a straight couple rather than its queer agents at this questionable time. Where is Nanobomb? Esports titles are … Continued The post VALORANT continues to be afraid of exploring Nanobomb even during Pride Month appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Team WE’s dwindling hope, SkewMond becoming best LEC player, Cloud9’s last chance: League of Legends action leading up to MSI

Even though the Mid-Season Invitational is less than three weeks away, teams across the world are busy with their spring splits. Some leagues have crowned their champions while others are still finalizing their seeds, with four teams still to be confirmed. This past week, Top Esports has booked its place, leaving BiliBili Gaming, Anyone’s Legend, … Continued The post Team WE’s dwindling hope, SkewMond becoming best LEC player, Cloud9’s last chance: League of Legends action lead

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From $1.5M contracts to players paying their own $2K transfer fees, a damning indictment of the Call of Duty League economics

From multi-million-dollar deals and record-high transfers for League superstars just six years ago, to minimum-wage contracts and players “buying” their own transfer fees out, the Call of Duty League’s economic landscape has crashed and burned. Call of Duty esports has always had a complicated relationship with Benjamin Franklin. The $100 bills flow like there’s no … Continued The post From $1.5M contracts to players paying their own $2K transfer fees, a damning indictment of t

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Fnatic troubles, EMEA dual stage, and Masters London tierlists: VALORANT’s packed week

Despite a lack of VCT action, the VALORANT esports scene saw massive shake-ups and heated discussions last week. From Fnatic’s coaching changes to the most-anticipated teams at Masters London, here’s a rundown of everything you might have missed! Fnatic Signs Former Karmine Corp Coach Engh Fnatic, one of the historically most successful VALORANT organizations, made … Continued The post Fnatic troubles, EMEA dual stage, and Masters London tierlists: VALORANT’s packed week appeared first on

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Co-streaming shouldn’t count towards actual esports tournament viewership: Esports Insider debates

Co-streaming has become a huge part of the esports ecosystem, for better or worse. The industry has mixed feelings about co-streaming’s place in esports, so we figured we’d share our own opinions. Aaron Alford is a professional debater, and I’m just here to rant and rave about a topic. But we are both just having … Continued The post Co-streaming shouldn’t count towards actual esports tournament viewership: Esports Insider debates appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Unorthodox plays and scary team coordination: Team WE will likely qualify for MSI

If there is any team you should be rooting for right now in League of Legends esports, it should be Team WE. This mid-pack team pulled off not one, but two of the greatest upsets of the season and are now one series away from qualifying for the Mid-Season Invitational. While everyone loves an underdog … Continued The post Unorthodox plays and scary team coordination: Team WE will likely qualify for MSI appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Combo Breaker 2026 was a sad reminder that the FGC can still be uncomfortable for women

Combo Breaker 2026 was one of the biggest non-EVO fighting game tournaments of the year, with different nationalities flying in to experience the event. But behind its massive success, there lies a problem in the community that, while reduced, persists in the darkest corners of the FGC. Yup. I’m talking about harassment of women in … Continued The post Combo Breaker 2026 was a sad reminder that the FGC can still be uncomfortable for women appeared first on Esports Insider.

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VALORANT broadcast interupted by hilarious Discord sound, and you probably just learned CVAL was happening

Over the weekend, I couldn’t stop laughing at one specific moment of the 2026 College VALORANT (CVAL) Championship, organized by the Riot Scholastic Association of America (RSAA). And it’s because it brought back that chaos we’ve been missing from esports broadcasts the past few years. While discussing the MVP of the highly organized tournament, you … Continued The post VALORANT broadcast interupted by hilarious Discord sound, and you probably just learned CVAL was happen

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Tundra leaves the scene, GLYPH’s hilarious clip, Save-‘s 1,000 maps: Dota 2’s wild week

It’s been a really wild week in Dota 2. We have all sorts of stuff happening, from one of the largest Dota teams leaving, underdog teams leaving good impressions, and a familiar face up to his usual tricks. Here’s everything that went down in this Dota 2 week that we think you should know about. … Continued The post Tundra leaves the scene, GLYPH’s hilarious clip, Save-‘s 1,000 maps: Dota 2’s wild week appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Perfect, expensive broadcasts are ruining the magic of esports (I miss the Overwatch League)

Esports used to have this kind of magical, exciting feeling I couldn’t quite place. It felt like we were part of this crazy new thing that was not quite sure what the hell it was. Stumbling, authentic, raw, confused. I’ve missed that feeling the past few years and couldn’t place my finger on why. What’s … Continued The post Perfect, expensive broadcasts are ruining the magic of esports (I miss the Overwatch League) appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Esports World Cup’s Paris move marks the city as a rising esports capital

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is leaving Saudi Arabia for the first time, and it’s going to Paris. From July 6 to August 23rd, the top players across 24 game titles will gather together in the French capital, fighting not only for glory but also to win a share of the $75 million prize pool. … Continued The post Esports World Cup’s Paris move marks the city as a rising esports capital appeared first on Esports Insider.

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RLCS Paris Major proved Rocket League belongs in France, but can the scene thrive in North America?

There’s no simpler rivalry than a regional one, but after a decade of back-and-forth between North America and Europe – in particular, France – the RLCS Paris Major cemented that Rocket League came home. Born out of a tiny studio in the US that was workshopping some extra mini games to port into Gears of … Continued The post RLCS Paris Major proved Rocket League belongs in France, but can the scene thrive in North America? appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Moving the Esports World Cup to Paris shouldn’t negate the concerns surrounding the event

On May 20th, the Esports World Cup (EWC) officially announced that it would move the $75m competition from its previous host, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Paris for its 2026 edition. As with any news surrounding the EWC, this announcement was met with divisive reactions from the esports community due to the event’s ties to the … Continued The post Moving the Esports World Cup to Paris shouldn’t negate the concerns surrounding the event appeared first on Esports Insider.

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IEM Cologne Major has massive $1.25 million prize pool, but the real money lies elsewhere

The IEM Cologne Major is set to be one of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 events of the year. Starting on June 2nd, it will take place at the LANXESS Arena in Germany and feature a $1.25 million prize pool. This puts it in the top 10 Counter-Strike 2 tournaments by prize pool. But there may … Continued The post IEM Cologne Major has massive $1.25 million prize pool, but the real money lies elsewhere appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Ludwig buying Rivals of Aether II’s registration numbers adds to the manufactured and forced hype of Evo this year

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the FGC really doesn’t like influencers. Despite this, Evo, the largest fighting game event of the year, has been sorta taken over by content creators. Recently, Evo revealed the registration numbers for its fighting game lineup. It looks like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and 2XKO … Continued The post Ludwig buying Rivals of Aether II’s registration numbers adds to the manufactured and forced hype of Evo this year appeared f

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South American Dota 2 teams are getting robbed at The International 2026

Valve has revealed the direct invitations and slot allocations for The International 2026, and there are already multiple talking points surrounding the huge announcement. For the first time in recent memory, they’ve only invited seven teams instead of eight, but the biggest controversy lies in South America being handed just a single slot in the … Continued The post South American Dota 2 teams are getting robbed at The International 2026 appeared first on Esports Insider.

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OWCS 2026 Champions Clash sees highest Overwatch esports viewership in years, and it’s not because people love Overwatch esports

Ever since the Overwatch League died, Overwatch esports have been a bit of a depressing talking point in the industry. The Overwatch Championship Series hasn’t hit the same. The hype has largely disappeared, although some exciting teams remain. When I saw that the OWCS Champions Clash had such an incredible viewership jump — with 290,600 … Continued The post OWCS 2026 Champions Clash sees highest Overwatch esports viewership in years, and it’s not because people love Overwatch

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The FGC kids are alright: Combo Breaker 2026 proves that the next generation of pros are here

Last weekend was nuts. The biggest non-EVO offline tournament, Combo Breaker 2026, reached its conclusion with Street Fighter 6 closing out the massively successful event. While Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun won the bracket and punched his ticket to both Capcom Cup 13 and the Esports World Cup, the kids of the FGC also showed up … Continued The post The FGC kids are alright: Combo Breaker 2026 proves that the next generation of pros are here appeared first on Esports Insider.

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No money, no events: Melee needs the SSBMRank more than ever, but it’s slowly disappearing

The Super Smash Bros. esports scene is unique. In many ways. One way? It’s not really for money at all. The pros are fighting for a rank. Without Nintendo’s support, the grassroots scene has survived for decades with little to no prize pools. Most are around a few thousand bucks, just enough to break even … Continued The post No money, no events: Melee needs the SSBMRank more than ever, but it’s slowly disappearing appeared first on Esports Insider.

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Is Rocket League cooked? The RLCS 2026 Paris Major viewership decline shocks fans… But the real reason impacts esports as a whole

The viewership numbers from the RLCS 2026 Paris Major were shockingly low. Like, really low. It’s easy to immediately assume that Rocket League is dying, the old esports mantra. But what’s actually going on? Well, it’s not dying. But the excuses people have for the reduced viewership actually do point to one thing: it’s not … Continued The post Is Rocket League cooked? The RLCS 2026 Paris Major viewership decline shocks fans… But the real reason impacts esport

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Are AAA companies to blame for esports’ continued demise?

There has been a long-standing resentment toward Nintendo in the Super Smash Bros. esports community. Nintendo has not only refused to fund an esports circuit but has also actively shut down streams and tournaments for various strict reasons. The Smash community, especially Melee, hates Nintendo. But is it Nintendo’s absence from the Smash scene that … Continued The post Are AAA companies to blame for esports’ continued demise? appeared first on Esports Insider.

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“This is why we needed ESL Impact”: The HEROIC post is more serious than esports would like to admit

A few days ago, Norwegian esports organization HEROIC caused an uproar within the esports community with a divisive post on X (formerly Twitter). The post intends to trash-talk Saudi Arabian esports organization Team Falcons by putting its logo next to a photo of actress Sydney Sweeney under the caption “t*ts or a**.” However, as pointed … Continued The post “This is why we needed ESL Impact”: The HEROIC post is more serious than esports would like to admit appeared first on Esports