SHANGHAI, Feb. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia's premier multi-title esports tournament hosted by Asia's leading esports company Hero Esports, has announced that champions of the ACL Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Tournament will secure a spot at the Esports World Cup.
ACL CS2 Tournament is the only Tier 1 event of CS2 within the Asia region and participated in the Valve Regional Standings. The total prize pool of the event amounts to $300,000, of which the champion will take home $100,000. The ACL CS2 will be an all-offline event, with the Grand Finals being hosted in Shanghai.
In addition to CS2, the ACL recently announced that the champion of the ACL Honor of Kings Tournament will gain direct entry to the Esports World Cup. This follows the hugely successful 2024 KPL Grand Finals, which was co-organized by Hero Esports and Tencent's TiMi Studio Group and had a total prize pool of $9.8 million.
The Esports World Cup stands as the world's largest esports competition, boasting the largest prize pool in esports history which exceeds $60 million. Direct entry to the EWC serves as a significant motivation for all the competing teams in the ACL and is testament to the continued collaboration between the ACL, Hero Esports and the Esports World Cup Foundation.
Jonny Wang, CEO of the Asian Champions League, said: "We are very excited about the increasingly close relationship between the ACL and Esports World Cup, which is testament to the ACL's ability to provide a platform for some of the world's best esports teams based in Asia and enable them to excel on the global stage. We look forward to working with the Hero Esports team to organize our upcoming tournaments, as we continue to progress our shared ambition to grow both the Asian and international esports ecosystems."
Danny Tang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Esports, said: "Hero Esports created the Asian Champions League to bridge the gap between international tournaments and regional leagues, providing a clearer pathway for talented teams to compete on the global stage. The ACL's continued collaboration with the Esports World Cup is an example of this vision becoming a reality, and it also represents Hero Esports' commitment to shaping and empowering esports globally."
The ACL CS2 Tournament is structured into four distinct stages: Open Qualifiers (China), Closed Qualifiers (Asia), Playoffs and Grand Finals.
The Open Qualifiers (China) are scheduled to run from February 15 to April 13, featuring the Rookie Stage and the Rookie Advanced Stage. This inclusive phase welcomes teams from all backgrounds in China to register and participate, bridging the gap between professional and aspiring players.
Following this, the top four teams from the Open Qualifiers (China) will advance to the Closed Qualifiers (Asia) and compete with the direct invite teams ranked from 5th to 16th in VRS in Asia. The Closed Qualifiers (Asia) will take place from April 17 to April 27, following a format that includes a mix of BO1 and BO3 double elimination matches.
The Playoffs will be held from May 6 to 11, where the top four teams from the Closed Qualifiers (Asia) will meet the direct invite teams ranked from 1st to 4th in VRS from the Asia Region. The Playoffs will follow a format of BO3 double elimination.
The Grand Finals are scheduled on May 16. The two winners from each bracket in the Playoffs will compete for the championship, while the second-place teams from each bracket will compete for third place.
About Hero Esports
Founded in 2016, Hero Esports is the biggest esports company in Asia, producing more than 7,000 matches every year that captivate an online fan base of over 800 million. With a global presence encompassing 12 office locations and eight top-tier esports arenas, Hero Esports offers a comprehensive suite of esports services, including tournament organization, marketing solutions, community development, and more. As a private company, Hero Esports counts Savvy Games Group and Tencent, among others, as investors, with Kuaishou and Huya as strategic partners.
Headquartered in Shanghai and employing more than 1,100 employees, Hero Esports is a fully integrated operator of esports tournaments and creator of esports content with global reach. The company has helped produce many prestigious tournaments including the Olympic Esports Week, the Esports World Cup as well as the esports series featured at both the Jakarta Asian Games 2018 and the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. Hero Esports also worked with the world's top-tier game publishers such as Tencent and Krafton in organizing popular esports leagues such as the Honor of Kings' KPL series and PUBG's PGC series, among many others. In 2024, Hero Esports launched Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia's premier international, multi-title esports tournament. Hero Esports is a member of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League: Counter-Strike 2 Tournament Champions Secure Place in Esports World Cup
YIWU, China, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. On the afternoon of January 16, the award ceremony for the 2025 Yiwugo's Top 10 Vendors Competition was successfully held at the Expo Center Hotel in Yiwu. Thousands of leading figures from diverse segments of the Yiwu market, together with representatives from industrial belts across the country, gathered to witness this landmark event.
Over the past year, due to their deep engagement with Yiwugo and their exceptional capabilities, Yiwu Gemei Electric Appliance, Xuping Jewelry, Ufree Gangao Warwick, Kemei Electrical Equipment, Zhangweichao Socks Firm, Little Bee Towels, Yiwu Aishang Daily Necessities Factory, Jinhua Siji Lvkang Daily Necessities, Zhejiang Pujiang Pudong No.1 Lock Firm, and Yiwu Hanbang Daily Necessities Firm secured the title of "2025 Yiwugo's Top 10 Vendors".
As an annual gala and a vital barometer of the Yiwu market, the Yiwugo's Top 10 Vendors Competition has been successfully held for 13 consecutive years. Over the past decade, Yiwugo has remained steadfast in its mission to identify and honor benchmark enterprises that spearhead industrial transformation. To date, these efforts have brought to prominence a group of high-quality enterprises distinguished by robust brand strength and an exceptional industry reputation.
In recent years, as Yiwugo's brand visibility and market influence continue to increase, the Competition has drawn growing attention and active participation from merchants across the Yiwu market as well as industrial belts nationwide.
A review of previous Top 10 Vendors lists shows a mix of seasoned players and rising stars. This year is no exception: veterans such as Yiwu Gemei Electric Appliance, Xuping Jewelry, Kemei Electrical Equipment, Zhangweichao Socks Firm, Yiwu Aishang Daily Necessities Factory, and Yiwu Hanbang Daily Necessities Firm demonstrated sustained excellence, while the performances of newcomers like Ufree Gangao Warwick and Zhejiang Pujiang Pudong No.1 Lock Firm were particularly impressive.
"During this year's Competition, many customers reached out to me after seeing the rankings to cheer me on." Operating in District 2 of the Yiwu International Trade City, Ufree Gangao Warwick specializes in hairdressing scissors, high-speed hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hot air brushes, and other beauty gadgets. Its products perform strongly across Europe, the US, South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, ranking among the top in their respective categories on cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.
Founded in 1995, Ufree Gangao Warwick has remained steadfast in its brand-led strategy, with its proprietary brands now registered in more than 100 countries. "We joined Yiwugo the moment it launched. Many customers have discovered our offline store through the platform, which has delivered tangible results in traffic generation, transaction conversion, and brand exposure," said Lin Yuncun, head of Ufree Gangao Warwick. This year marks the company's first debut on the Top 10 Vendors list, an achievement widely regarded as an endorsement from both the market and its customers. Ufree Gangao Warwick will cherish this achievement and use the momentum from the competition to further strengthen its brand influence, laying a solid foundation for advancing its global brand agency strategy in the year ahead.
Zhejiang Pujiang Pudong No.1 Lock Firm also made its first appearance on the list this year. A true "dark horse", the company joined Yiwugo 14 years ago and, after years of steady development, secured an impressive ninth place in its debut ranking.
"We specialize in wire mesh products, including welded wire mesh and fencing systems. Our offerings perform well in regions with strong infrastructure demand, such as Africa and South America. Africa, in particular, has been a core market for us. Through years of focused efforts, our brand has established a solid level of recognition across West African countries," said Guo Xiaolei, head of Zhejiang Pujiang Pudong No.1 Lock Firm. By taking part in the Top 10 Vendors Competition, the company hopes to leverage the event's visibility and Yiwugo's reach to introduce its own brand to a wider overseas audience, expand into new markets, and unlock fresh growth opportunities.
Whether established leaders or first-time entrants, these award-winning vendors not only stand out in sales performance but also set industry benchmarks in branding, digitization, and sustainable development. They embody robust growth momentum, outstanding innovation ability, and extensive market influence, collectively showcasing the resilience and dynamism of the Yiwu market.
Today, the wave of digital trade is rapidly reshaping the industry landscape. Deeply rooted in the market and keenly responsive to its evolution, Yiwugo has consistently positioned innovation and transformation at the heart of its development strategy. Last October, the platform officially launched its in-store live-streaming initiative. Designed to support vendors at various stages of growth, Yiwugo offers multi-channel account setup services—including WeChat Channels, Douyin, and TikTok—enabling vendors to tap into new global trade opportunities.
Going forward, Yiwugo will continue to strengthen innovation, push beyond service boundaries, and expand its business ecosystem. By empowering merchants to fully embrace new digital-trade models, the platform aims to foster faster, closer connections between buyers and sellers. With digital and intelligent technologies, Yiwugo will be able to promote deeper integration of online and offline commerce, accelerate market transformation, and boost industry-wide efficiency.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Award Ceremony for 2025 Yiwugo's Top 10 Vendors Competition Successfully Held
