- The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League Honor of Kings tournament winner will qualify for the Esports World Cup.
- The tournament runs from May 5 to May 18, 2025.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 11, 2025 — Hero Esports, Asia’s leading esports company, has announced details for its HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL) Honor of Kings tournament, including format, schedule, prize pool, and Esports World Cup qualification.
The partnership between the King Pro League (KPL) – China’s top Honor of Kings league – ACL, and the Esports World Cup is a major esports achievement. The KPL Spring 2025 champion automatically qualifies for the Esports World Cup 2025; the runner-up advances to the ACL Honor of Kings 2025 Finals.
The ACL Honor of Kings champion also secures direct entry into the Esports World Cup 2025, representing Asia’s best esports talent on a global stage.
The ACL Honor of Kings tournament begins May 5, culminating in the finals on May 18, with 12 teams competing for a $200,000 prize pool (one-tenth of the ACL’s total $2 million prize pool).
The event comprises three stages: Qualifiers, Knockout stage, and Finals, all in Shanghai.
Based on KPL Spring 2025 regular season rankings, teams ranked A5 and A6, plus all Group B teams, compete in the Qualifiers (May 5, 6, and 13), with only one advancing. The format is best-of-three (BO3) single elimination in the first round, best-of-five (BO5) in the second, and best-of-seven (BO7) in the final round.
In the Knockout stage (May 14 to 16), the Qualifier winner faces teams ranked 3rd to 5th in the KPL Spring 2025 playoffs (ties broken by higher Stage 3 KPL Spring 2025 ranking). These four teams compete in best-of-seven (BO7) single elimination.
The Knockout stage winner advances to the finals against the KPL Spring 2025 runner-up to compete for the ACL Honor of Kings championship, also in a best-of-seven (BO7) format.
As a long-standing Honor of Kings partner, Hero Esports uses its expertise to create exceptional esports events. The inclusion of 12 top KPL teams significantly enhances the competition.
ACL has already announced six games: Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Honor of Kings, Teamfight Tactics, Delta Force, and Crossfire, with more to come.
About Hero Esports
Founded in 2016, Hero Esports is Asia’s largest esports company, producing over 7,000 matches annually for an online fanbase exceeding 800 million. With 12 offices and eight top-tier esports arenas globally, Hero Esports provides comprehensive esports services, including tournament organization, marketing, and community building. A privately held company, Hero Esports’ investors include Savvy Games Group and Tencent, with Kuaishou and Huya as strategic partners.
Headquartered in Shanghai with over 1,100 employees, Hero Esports is a fully integrated esports tournament operator and content creator with global reach. The company has organized prestigious tournaments including the Olympic Esports Week, the Esports World Cup, and esports series at the Jakarta Asian Games 2018 and Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. Hero Esports has also collaborated with leading publishers like Tencent and Krafton on leagues such as Honor of Kings’ KPL and PUBG’s PGC. In 2024, Hero Esports launched the Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s premier multi-title international esports tournament. Hero Esports is an ESIC member.
SOURCE Hero Esports