Press Release
ESL and TEG Live have announced two premier esports tournaments, the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League Finals and ESL Pro Tour: Warcraft III, will be hosted at this year’s Melbourne Esports Open (MEO) to be held at Melbourne & Olympic Parks across Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August.
The Oceanic Pro League (OPL) Finals will headline an expanded Margaret Court Arena stage in 2020, following last year’s intense finals which saw dark horses Mammoth Esports claim the title. A new addition to MEO is an ESL Pro Tour Masters level Warcraft III: Reforged tournament, which will see international players compete in the classic esports title on a dedicated second stage within Margaret Court Arena.
Inside Rod Laver Arena, the recently announced Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Melbourne 2020 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament will feature over both days, with the world’s best players competing for a prize pool of US$250,000.
TEG Live Managing Director Tim McGregor said the inclusion of Intel® Extreme Masters at this year’s Melbourne Esports Open was a real coup for the event:
“We are delighted to have Intel® Extreme Masters headlining this year’s Melbourne Esports Open, featuring major international teams and a large global audience. The original vision for Melbourne Esports Open was to be the biggest esports festival in Australasia and in just its third edition we have realised that ambition. For this year’s event, we’ve expanded ticketing tiers, making the festival more accessible for everyone and will also be providing a range of different activities for the whole family, making it an event not to be missed.”
Elsewhere across the 50,000m² precinct, the JB Hi-Fi Game On Zone will return to Melbourne Arena, featuring the latest in AAA releases, VR experiences and esports activities. The Monster, the southern hemisphere’s largest inflatable obstacle course, will also make a return to Grand Slam Oval this year with further exciting announcements to follow.
JB Hi-Fi Group CEO Richard Murray said:
“JB Hi-Fi are excited to be part of what has become Australia’s largest esports event, now in our 3rd year the JB Hi-Fi Game On Zone in Melbourne Arena will be bigger again, featuring the biggest gaming brands, first to play titles, fully interactive hands on freeplay experiences and exclusive show offers for attendees.”
“Die-hard fans along with their families will find something that excites them over the weekend,” added ESL SVP Asia-Pacific Japan, Nick Vanzetti. “To be able to bring every format of esports – from open, casual tournaments, right through to the world’s best under one roof has always been the goal of the Melbourne Esports Open, and this year we’ve finally been able to achieve that – this will be the biggest esports event ever held in Australia, with something for everyone.”
Melbourne Esports Open 2020 Ticket Details
Ticket options are MEO Ground Pass Single-Day ($25 AUD) and Weekend ($39 AUD). Melbourne Esports Open 2020 tickets holders, will gain access to a first come, first serve unreserved general admission section of Rod Laver Arena to experience IEM Melbourne 2020.
Fans who want guaranteed access to watch IEM Melbourne can purchase arena tickets including IEM Single-Day ticket ($69 AUD), IEM Weekend ticket ($139 AUD), Weekend Premium ticket ($229 AUD) and Global Elite ticket ($999 AUD). MEO 2020 Ground Pass access is included with every IEM ticket type.
Tickets for MEO 2020 will go on sale at 10am AEDT, Friday 14 February via www.ticketek.com.au or https://iem.gg/melbournetickets.
The Melbourne Esports Open is presented with the support of the Victorian Government via its tourism and major events agency Visit Victoria.