Team Occupy, an esports organization based in Cairo, Egypt, has publicly accused Riot Games MENA of failing to pay the agreed amounts from official Valorant Challengers events. In a social media post on March 8, the organization announced its boycott of Valorant Challengers EMEA tournaments in the region and disclosed plans to file a lawsuit in Egypt.
According to the post, Team Occupy is seeking not only the compensation due but also measures to bar Riot-affiliated events from taking place in the country until the financial issues are resolved. “Our lawsuit aims to block any Riot Games in the country, demand rightful compensation, and file an official complaint with the Egyptian Esports Federation. Through these measures, we seek a ruling that prevents granting any permits for Riot-affiliated tournaments or events featuring Riot’s games in Egypt.”
The organization told TEA it is owed approximately $7,500 USD—equivalent to roughly 379,908 Egyptian pounds—for participation in four Valorant Challengers MENA events spanning two competitive splits each in 2023 and 2024. Team Occupy further alleges that discussions with Riot have repeatedly stalled for the last two years, with Riot purportedly promising to resolve the matter with third-party tournament organizer Calyx.
Riot Games’ Response
Luciano Rahal, head of marketing communications and PR for Riot Games’ MEA and Russia + territories, responded in English on March 9 via social media and with a separate post written in Arabic. Rahal confirmed that the company is investigating the matter both for Valorant Challengers and League of Legends regional tournaments in MENA. In his statement, he underscored that Riot Games is taking the issue seriously and is working internally to determine the next steps.
Hello everyone, I wanted to take the time to come on here and let the community know that we are aware of the ongoing situation in the VAL Challengers and League of Legends ERL here in MENA. We are taking this matter very seriously and are actively looking into this internally.…
— 👊🏼 Luciano Rahal | لوسيانو رحال (@RiotGrasshopper) March 9, 2025
While detailed internal deliberations remain confidential, sources with direct knowledge of the situation indicated to The Esports Advocate that Riot may consider implementing stricter oversight and revised requirements for third-party tournament operators to prevent future disputes.
Calyx’s Perspective
Calyx, which secured the rights to organize the Valorant Challengers MENA tournaments for 2023 and 2024, has countered that payments for the 2023 events have been completed. In an email to TEA, the company also stated that it is actively addressing the payment process for the 2024 events. Additional sources have informed TEA that similar issues may have affected other teams and on-air talent, suggesting that the financial mismanagement could be more widespread.
This is a developing story…