A national first. That is the simplest way to describe what our E Blacks team set out to do when they departed Auckland Airport on Sunday 14 June, joined by players flying in from Sydney and Melbourne. For the first time in our history, New Zealand’s national esports team was heading overseas for a full tour, combining training, competition and sports diplomacy in Kuala Lumpur.
The squad pulled up to the airport in the Kia EV5, and Pouki, the team mascot, came along for the ride.
Day 1: Media Day
The first full day in KL was dedicated entirely to content capture. The team headed to That Ain’t Bulb Studio alongside Jack from Labb Studios, who travelled with us throughout the trip to document the tour. New team photos, individual portraits, and the first proper look at the uniforms and training shirts designed specifically for the World Tour. A team lunch at a local cafe rounded out the day. It was a good, settled start for a group that had just reassembled from three different departure points.
That evening, we were invited to dinner at Hidang, Kuala Lumpur, where we were introduced to Afiq Fadhli Narawi and Adib Abdullah, two of the people who helped make this tour happen. We also met Muhammad Naim Al-Amin bin Saharudin, President of the Malaysian Esports Federation, known widely as Naim Al-Amin. Over a spread of traditional Malaysian dishes, it was the right way to close out a significant day.
Day 2: The MoU Signing
Day two was the one that will be remembered.
The team arrived at the Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where Malaysia was hosting the Honor of Kings Esports Asian Games Qualifier, and the atmosphere set the scene perfectly. Dressed in their black NZ Esports blazers, the team drew comments throughout the day about how sharp and professional they looked. That was deliberate.
In front of a significant crowd, NZ Esports and the Malaysian Esports Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise a new relationship between our two nations, with esports at its foundation. The signing was witnessed by Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports Development Dr Mohammad Taufiq Jobari, and His Excellency High Commissioner Michael Walsh, representing New Zealand.
Malaysia is one of the most developed esports nations in the world. Spending time on the ground, meeting 14 state presidents of the Malaysian Esports Federation and seeing how deeply the culture runs, you understand why. In restaurants and taxis, the moment locals heard the team had come from New Zealand for esports, the response was immediate and genuine.
CEO Jonathan Jansen joined a lunch hosted by the Minister, alongside representatives from government and publishers, where he spoke about New Zealand’s educational and commercial approach to esports and extended a formal invitation for the Minister to visit New Zealand. The conversation about a reciprocal visit, and a broader sporting MoU between our two countries, was already underway before the meal was done.
Jonathan also featured on BFM 89.9, Malaysia’s largest business radio station with 400,000 daily listeners, talking about the tour and raising the profile of the E Blacks internationally. Sport New Zealand tasked us with sports diplomacy at the start of this year. This was it.
Day 3: Culture Day
The Malaysian Esports Federation took the team out of the city and into a remote village for a full culture day, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
It started with a Kompang welcome performance, and the team was invited to join in. From there: batik painting, a tradition going back 2,000 years; traditional Malay food; learning to cook roti; and a look inside traditional Malay homes that are increasingly rare to find in the country today.
The afternoon included kite making and a flying session that had its heroes and its casualties. Zavier’s ended up in the water. We are not sorry for bringing it up.
Day 4: Bootcamp
With the test match approaching on Friday, day four was set aside for training. The team used the facilities at MSN School of Sports in Bukit Jalil, which worked well for both the Dota 2 players and eFootball player Josh. A focused day, no ceremony, just preparation.
Day 5: Test Match vs Malaysia
Friday was competition day, and the team was ready.
First up was eFootball, where JMK went head to head with the top-ranked player in Asia. He lost the overall match 2-1, but won the first game 2-0 and held his own throughout. JMK came off the back of it smiling, describing it as one of the best competitive experiences of his career and a renewed motivation to compete at that level again.
Then came Dota 2. Both teams competed hard across tight games, but our squad pulled ahead to take both matches. A strong result against a well-resourced Malaysian side, and a fitting way to close out the competitive side of the tour.
After the matches, the Malaysian Esports Federation took us to dinner at Saloma, Kuala Lumpur. It was the kind of evening that rounds off a week properly: a chance to sit down with the Malaysian players, get to know them away from the competition, and acknowledge what MESF had put into hosting us. A genuine thank you to them for that.
The team flew home early Saturday morning.
What the Tour Delivered
Five days in Kuala Lumpur produced a signed MoU between two nations, a reciprocal visit in early discussion, a national radio appearance reaching 400,000 listeners, and a Dota 2 win against one of Asia’s most established esports federations. More than that, it put the E Blacks in rooms and conversations that matter for the long-term growth of esports in New Zealand.
