The Marvel Rivals Invitational will pit the best North American teams against each other in battle. / Epic Games, Marvel
Players around the world are enjoying Marvel Rivals in both casual and competitive play styles. Now, Epic Games and Marvel's hit title is making moves to enter the professional esports scene. The Marvel Rivals Invitational will put the best North American teams against each other in battle, and fans can watch it live. Here's everything to know about the tournament, when it will take place and where Marvel Rivals enthusiasts can spectate.
On December 17, 2024, Marvel Rivals announced a new venture on its official X.com account. The game also released a newsletter on its official website. These posts revealed the upcoming Marvel Rivals Invitational tournament, which will be one of the game's first major esports tournaments since its War of the Realms event in beta.
The Marvel Rivals Invitational is a North American esports event that features four pro-level Marvel Rivals teams. According to the Marvel Rivals website, "Marvel Rivals Invitational (MRI) North America invites four professional Factions from NA region [...] to compete together. We welcome everyone to watch their thrilling matches and witness who will be crowned the strongest Faction in North America!"
The tournament will occur virtually and has a 20,000 USD prize pool. The Champion team will win 10,000 USD, while the runner-up and third place will receive 7,000 and 3,000 USD, respectively. It is one of Marvel Rivals' first major esports events.
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Four pro teams will compete in the Marvel Rivals Invitational. These teams will all utilize Marvel Rivals' Factions system as per tournament rules. Creating an in-game Faction allows players to organize a team that is eligible to compete in the esports sphere and various tournaments. Each Faction has a set leader and can be customized to reflect team branding and preferences. Up to twelve unique players can join a Faction at once.
Esports fans will be familiar with the team NRG, which has a strong presence in titles such as VALORANT, Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Overwatch. NRG will participate in the Marvel Rivals Invitational tournament. Luminosity Gaming (LG), known for its Counter-Strike performance, is another familiar face. Miami-based NTMR and U4RIA will take the final two slots. It's worth noting that most of these teams have previously fielded Overwatch pro rosters, so Marvel Rivals' growing esports scene will likely draw attention from its similar hero-shooter competitors.
Marvel Rivals players and esports fans can watch the Marvel Rivals Invitational live on multiple platforms. The event will be streamed on the official Marvel Rivals Twitch. The account has over 57,000 followers and most recently streamed the game's War of the Realms tournament four months ago. Fans can navigate to it here.
The official Marvel Rivals Invitational tournament rules specify that players can livestream their participation during the tournament as long as they include an appropriate stream delay. It might be worthwhile to check out some of the participating team members' socials on Twitch, Instagram and YouTube. In addition, certain participating teams like NRG have dedicated Twitch and YouTube pages.
Marvel Rivals esports fans will also likely watch party the event on various Twitch, YouTube and Discord channels. If your favorite gaming personality has played Marvel Rivals recently, they may react to the event live.