Intel Announces the Return of Intel World Open

Intel Announces the Return of Intel World Open

The Intel World Open, the national and region-based esports tournament for Rocket League and Street Fighter V is back! The event was supposed to take place in 2020 but got pushed back after the Summer Olympics were postponed.

Intel World Open Is Back

Intel unveiled the return of the Intel World Open on Wednesday, May 5. As announced, the IWO for both games will take place ahead of the Summer Olympics and will be played online.

“With support from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Intel will host and showcase the best players and teams in the world, featuring Street Fighter V and Rocket League,” read the announcement.

“The Intel World Open brings the excitement and influence of esports to the world’s stage.”

The tournament will begin in July, though the registration and qualifiers for both games open in May. The qualifiers will run from June to the start of July, after which the top teams will advance into the Regional Finals.

Rocket League Intel World Open Dates, Format, and Prize Pool

The road to the IWO Rocket League title will begin with the registration process that will run from May 15 – May 31. During that time, any team of three players can register for their spot in the qualifiers.

Rules state that all players must be at least 15 years of age at the time of registry. Additionally, all team members must come from the same region.

After that, the qualifying process will begin – split into Open and Closed Qualifiers. The top teams from the Closed Qualifiers will advance into the Regional Finals, where they’ll duke it out for the lion’s share of the prize pool and title of IWO champions.

Rocket League Intel World Open Phases

  • Registration (May 15 – May 31)
  • Open Qualifiers (June 1-13)
  • Closed Qualifiers (June 21-27)
  • Regional Finals (July 11-14)

The Open Qualifiers will run in a double-elimination format; all matches played as best-of-three (Bo3). The Closed Qualifiers will use the same double-elimination format, with all matches played as Bo5.

The Rocket League IWO qualifiers can be played from all platforms that the game is available on, as stated by the tournament organizers. The Rocket League IWO will accept teams from 21 countries/regions.

Eligible countries/regions: Africa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Europe East, Europe North, Europe West, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, Rest of Asia (Mainland), Rest of Asia (Maritime) and Oceania, Rest of North/Central America, Rest of South America, United Kingdom, United States of America

The Rocket League IWO will conclude with the top teams from each region competing in four Regional Finals. There they’ll compete for bragging rights, pride of their nation, and the lion’s share of the $250,000 prize pool.

Four Regional Finals

  • Asia (mainland)
  • Asia (mainland) and Oceania
  • Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
  • Americas

The organizers have yet to announce how the prize pool will be distributed between the regions. Although it’s fair to assume the larger regions will receive a bigger portion of the pot.

First Official Nation-Based Rocket League Tournament

The IWO is the first official nation-based tournament for Rocket League. It will also give other regions that don’t normally compete in the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) – such as Asia, Central America, Africa, and the Middle East – a chance to take part in a major esports event.

The best part is that anyone can form a team and register to take part in the tournament. You can do so by visiting ESL Play or clicking here, where you can more information about the events, as well as rules teams and players must follow.