News · 2026-11-14

Esports week in review: November 7–14, 2026

Esports week in review for Nov 7–14, 2026: Moonton's sale clears China, Riot maps 2027 League of Legends, and TenZ returns to Valorant.

The week of November 7–14, 2026, was heavier on business and calendar news than on new events starting. China unconditionally approved Savvy Games' purchase of Moonton, the studio behind Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, though the deal is not closed. Riot Games set its 2027 League of Legends international map. Tyson "TenZ" Ngo came out of retirement to play Valorant for T1. This recap keeps match results out of the main body. Scores and winners are in a clearly marked section at the end.

China clears Savvy's purchase of Moonton (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)

China's State Administration for Market Regulation unconditionally approved the sale of Moonton, the developer of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, from ByteDance to Savvy Games Group. The review finished on October 29 and was published on November 6. The acquirer is listed as Saudi Electronic Games Holding Company, Savvy's parent.

The deal was agreed in March 2026 and is reported to be worth more than $6 billion. It has not closed, and it is still subject to other customary regulatory approvals. ByteDance bought Moonton in 2021 for about $4 billion.

If the sale goes through, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang would sit in the same Saudi-backed investment group as ESL FACEIT Group and the Esports World Cup. Moonton has said the studio would remain based in Shanghai. There has been no public plan for how, or whether, its leagues and the annual M-series championship would change.

Catch up on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang matches, spoiler-free, on the MLBB hub.

Tencent commits about $140 million to Golden Spatula (Teamfight Tactics in China)

Tencent said it will invest 1 billion yuan, about $140 million, over three years in Fight of the Golden Spatula, the Chinese version of Teamfight Tactics. The plan was announced on November 6 in Xi'an and is meant to cover game development, content, community programs and esports.

Tencent also said the annual Golden Spatula esports prize pool will double in 2027 compared with 2026. A new annual championship, held during the game's anniversary, will have a 10 million yuan ecosystem prize pool, about $1.4 million, including 3 million yuan, about $420,000, for the champion. The existing three national open tournaments will continue, and a university circuit, Prism Academy, is expected to grow from 100 to 300 campus events. A PC edition is planned for the next music-themed season, with accounts and matchmaking shared with mobile.

Teamfight Tactics is not one of the games Spectate covers. The item is here because it is one of the week's larger esports investments.

Riot maps League of Legends in 2027: China, Spain, Japan and South Korea

Riot Games published its 2027 League of Legends international calendar on November 13.

Riot is also considering whether the Demacia Cup could replace the traditional Worlds Play-In in 2027. No decision has been made.

The League of Legends Worlds 2026 final takes place on November 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. For the time, the format and a spoiler-free way to watch, see What to expect in the Worlds 2026 Final and the Worlds 2026 page. Finished games also appear on the League of Legends hub, with scores hidden until you reveal them. A separate guide covers how to start each VOD at the beginning of the game.

Dota 2 is confirmed for a fourth Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup Foundation confirmed Dota 2 for Esports World Cup 2027, the game's fourth year in a row in the lineup. The Foundation said the event itself returns in the summer of 2027. Dota 2's dates, format, prize pool and participating teams have not been announced.

Dota 2 matches are on the Spectate home page, which is the Dota 2 hub.

TenZ comes out of retirement to play Valorant for T1

T1 announced on November 12 that Tyson "TenZ" Ngo will play Valorant for the organization in VCT Pacific in 2027. TenZ retired from competition in 2024 after a career with Sentinels that included two Masters titles. He had been with T1 as a content creator since May 2026, and said in October that he was looking for a team.

He is T1's second confirmed signing of the off-season, after Austin "crashies" Roberts. T1 has not said which role TenZ will play. Coverage of the announcement said his first event with the roster is expected to be Red Bull Home Ground in December, ahead of VCT Pacific Kickoff in January.

Valorant matches, including VCT, are on the Valorant hub, spoiler-free by default.

CDL teams keep Tactical Sprint out of Modern Warfare 4 (Call of Duty)

Call of Duty League teams voted to keep Tactical Sprint out of competitive Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, according to reporting on a gentlemen's agreement (GA) vote after the league published its v1 ruleset. The outcome is that Tac Sprint stays out of CDL play for now. Later GA changes need nine teams to agree.

Call of Duty League matches are on the Call of Duty hub.

A finals weekend, without the scores

Three large events overlap on November 14–15, all of which you can follow on Spectate without seeing a result first:

Counter-Strike 2 also just finished Intel Extreme Masters Beijing 2026, IEM's return to the city for the first time since 2019. ESL said about 59,000 fans attended over six live days, and it reported a peak of 720,903 concurrent viewers, citing Esports Charts. That peak is higher than PGL Masters Bucharest a week earlier, which peaked at 668,964. Hours watched went the other way: about 12.5 million in Beijing across 56 hours 30 minutes of airtime, against just over 20.2 million hours in Bucharest across 76 hours. The winner of IEM Beijing is in the results section below. The IEM Beijing event page lists every map with scores hidden. The next Counter-Strike 2 Major is the PGL Major in Singapore.

How to catch up on Spectate

Scores, winners and series length stay hidden until you reveal them. Finished maps and games link into the broadcast near the start, where a replay is listed. The calendar and tournaments pages cover all 12 games.

FAQ

What happened in esports in the week of November 7–14, 2026?

China unconditionally approved Savvy Games' purchase of Moonton, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang studio, though the deal is not closed. Tencent pledged about $140 million over three years to Golden Spatula, the Chinese version of Teamfight Tactics. Riot Games set 2027 League of Legends events in China, Spain, Japan and South Korea. Dota 2 was confirmed for a fourth Esports World Cup. TenZ came out of retirement to play Valorant for T1. Call of Duty League teams voted to keep Tactical Sprint out of Modern Warfare 4. Match results are in a separate section at the end of this article.

Did China approve Savvy Games' purchase of Moonton?

Yes. China's market regulator unconditionally approved the deal, with the review finished on October 29 and published on November 6. The sale is reported at more than $6 billion and has not closed. Other regulatory approvals still apply.

Where will League of Legends international events be held in 2027?

First Stand: All In will be in China. MSI will be at Feria de Valencia in Valencia, Spain. Worlds will start in Nagoya, Japan, for the Swiss Stage, then move to South Korea for the knockouts, with the final at Seoul Arena in Seoul. First Stand is set for Southeast Asia in 2028.

Where can I watch matches from the week of November 7–14, 2026, without spoilers?

On Spectate Esports. Use the Worlds 2026 page, the CS2 hub, the Rainbow Six Siege hub, or the game pages for Valorant, Call of Duty, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Dota 2. Scores stay hidden until you reveal them, and finished games link to the start of the broadcast where a replay is listed.

Sources