Valve Adds MENA Region

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26 June 2025 12:13

Valve has officially expanded its Valve Regional Standings (VRS) framework to include the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as a sub-region under Europe, a move that redefines how teams are classified across competitive regions and directly impacts team placements and player eligibility.

This update, which went live on June 26, significantly reshuffles the regional landscape for numerous teams. Countries now grouped under the MENA sub-region include:

North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Middle East: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

Previously, some of these nations were assigned to different regions. For instance, Israel was categorized under Asia. Following the update, it now joins Europe through its inclusion in MENA. This change carries real implications for teams like Team Liquid, which features Israeli player Guy ‘NertZ’ Iluz. With Israel now part of the European grouping, Liquid’s roster becomes majority European — although the team was already considered European after Valve adjusted rules for multi-region teams on June 16.

The update also clarifies the position of African countries outside the MENA scope. Players from nations not listed in the MENA sub-region are now aligned with the VRS region of their team's majority roster. This has already influenced team standings. For example, Wildcard, whose lineup previously qualified under Europe due to multi-region considerations, now shifts to the Americas.

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Tags: Valve

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