Online Desk: Bangladeshi esports player Farid Islam has recently secured a spot on the main stage of the Global Esports Games Riyadh 2023 for the Street Fighter 6 tournament. He will be the only player in this international tournament to represent Bangladesh, competing against 31 other players from all around the world.

According to Farid, he first won a local qualifier tournament hosted by BYDESA (Bangladesh Youth Development & Electronic Sports Association), which determined his spot as the representative for Bangladesh in the South Asia regional qualifier. There, Farid won against players from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Maldives to qualify from the South Asia region and fly out to Riyadh for the main stage of the global competition.

The Global Esports Games, the flagship event of the Global Esports Federation (GEF), will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this year from December 12 to 16. It will feature a varied lineup of video game tournaments, including Dota 2, eFootball 2023, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter 6. Hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation, the event will feature over 950 competitors from over 100 nations.

Farid started playing fighting games competitively in 2018, back when Street Fighter V Arcade Edition came out. “I really started to level up my gameplay during COVID-19 and onwards,” he said. When asked if he is competing solo or in a team, Farid added, “I am currently not in any teams at the moment. Since fighting games are played 1v1, I will have to compete in the main stage of Global Esports Games 2023 as a solo competitor”.

Farid has previously participated in and won local tournaments of fighting games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken. He is an admin of the local Facebook group ‘Fighting Games Community Bangladesh’ where he hosts tournaments for local fans and enthusiasts. He has also participated in international online tournaments hosted in Southeast Asia regions. He is currently a student of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) department.