Hero Esports, the tournament organizer behind the Asian Champions League (ACL), has announced the venues that will be hosting the Grand Finals of its multi-title esports event.
Image Credit: Hero Esports
Hero Esports brings the ACL Grand Finals offline across three venues
Announced earlier today, the ACL will be heading to Shanghai from May 16 to May 18 for the final matches of its championship, which features competitions across nine different esports titles.
According to a release, the event is set to attract over 80,000 people across the three venues, with broadcasts across Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok. A few of the ACL competitions will also grant direct access to the Esports World Cup, which will take place later this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Shanghai venues for the ACL Grand Finals
SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center (上海东方体育中心)
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X CS2
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X HOK
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X League of Legends Legend Cup S3
JING’AN SPORTS CENTER (静安体育中心)
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X Valorant Champions Tour
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X CrossFire
National Exhibition and Convention Center (国家会展中心)
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X DOTA2
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X Street Fighter 6
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X Teamfight Tactics
- ACL Grand Finals 2025 X Delta Force
Alongside the ACL, the event will also host DreamHack China, featuring guest influencers on top of the competitions and include DreamHack staples such as the expo floor, Artist Alley and Community Playground.
Jonny Wang, ACL CEO, commented on Shanghai as the hosting city: “Shanghai’s selection as our host city reflects its unmatched esports infrastructure and passionate community. By combining elite competition with DreamHack’s festival energy, we’re creating a new blueprint for global esports events.”
What is the Asian Champions League?
Announced earlier last year, the ACL is currently the premier and largest international multi-title esports event in Asia. Featuring a total prize pool of $2 million, there will be competitions across Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT Champions Tour, Delta Force and CrossFire.
Image Credit: Hero Esports
In particular, competitions such as the ACL Counter-Strike 2 tournament will feature open qualifiers, meaning that any team across the country can make it to the professional scene. Moreover, the winners of some of the ACL competitions, such as CS2, Honor of Kings, and Dota 2, can earn their access into the Esports World Cup, which is set to feature a record-breaking $70 million prize pool, the highest to date.
The event is organized by Hero Esports (previously known as VSPO), the biggest tournament operator in Asia. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company has worked closely on global esports competitions such as the Olympic Esports Week and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The company also previously worked with leading game publishers such as Tencent and Krafton on some of the most popular leagues in the world, such as Honor of Kings’ KPL, the League of Legends LPL, and PUBG’s PGC series.