Finn Andersen, known as ‘Karrigan’, a leading global esports professional player, is returning to Abu Dhabi to compete in the Blast Premier World Final at Yas Island’s Etihad Arena on December 16 and 17.

He will be part of the Faze Clan roster, one of eight sides that will be competing in the global showpiece season-ending Counter-Strike tournament that has a prize pool of $1 million.

The tournament is being held in partnership with AD Gaming, Abu Dhabi Government’s programme to support and accelerate the growth of the gaming industry in the Emirate.

It will be the second time that Karrigan will be participating in Abu Dhabi after last year’s event, and the 33-year-old said he believes the UAE is going in the right direction to become a global esports powerhouse, and said he would not be surprised if more global tournaments are held in the country in the future.

He said: “It’s important that in any discipline of sports, we reach as many people as possible around the world and that means playing in new cities. Esports is getting bigger by the year and we need to get it out there and show that Counter-Strike or esports is fun to watch in an arena than at home.

“This is why I enjoyed playing in Abu Dhabi last year. I was surprised with how passionate the fans were as they really do love gaming and I hope there will be World Final tournaments held there in the future as it was a great experience. I cannot wait to play there again in December.”

Since first playing Counter-Strike in the early 2000s, after initially playing football, Karrigan has rose to become one of the world’s best esports players in Counter-Strike. As well as helping Faze Clan to several prestigious titles including the IEM Katowice 2022, Antwerp Major 2022, IEM Cologne 2022 and ESL Pro League Season 17, while also being the oldest Major winner at 32-years-old  after triumphing in the 2022 PGL Major.

He added: “I would describe my esports journey to date either as a bumpy road or rollercoaster. I have played every single role in Counter-Strike which I enjoyed while there’s been many ups and downs. When I do decide to end my career, I will look back knowing I did everything that I could at competing at the highest level. I have won a lot of different tournaments but have yet to win a BLAST tournament so that is one I want to win as well.”

In 2022, the UAE was ranked first with the highest percentage of adult gamers with nine in 10 people playing video games. Having experienced gaming as a hobby before, he says the one piece of advice he would share for those who are playing games is to ‘have fun’.

With the gaming sector growing in popularity, Karrigan says he has benefitted greatly from being a gamer from valuable skills to fostering connections.

He said: “I think one of the most important things I've learned in gaming is to mix friendship with your team-mates as it means you’re all in the same boat and working towards the same goals.”

Tickets to the BLAST Premier World Final can be bought on Ticketmaster and Etihad Arena with prices starting at just AED 160. – TradeArabia News Service