Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup is a tournament that aims to elevate the gaming and electronic sports sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was announced by Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in October 2023. The annual event will be hosted in the capital, Riyadh, starting in the summer of 2024.

The Crown Prince stated that the Esports World Cup tournament is the natural next step in the Kingdom's journey to becoming the number one global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unparalleled experience that exceeds the norm in the industry. He emphasized that the tournament "will contribute to strengthening our commitment to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, including diversifying the economy, enhancing the tourism sector, creating job opportunities across various sectors, and providing high-level entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors alike."

The first edition saw Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman crown the Saudi team, Falcons, as the Esports World Cup champions, awarding them the first-place prize of USD7 million.

The Kingdom announced the establishment of the Esports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit organization responsible for organizing the tournament. This foundation aims to foster new levels of cooperation among all partners and parties concerned with the gaming and esports ecosystem.

The Esports World Cup includes the most popular games globally and offers the highest prize pool in esports history, with total prizes reaching USD60 million. An innovative tournament model was adopted to crown the best club in the world across all participating games. The Kingdom launched the Esports World Cup following the success of the first and second editions of "Gamers8," especially given that the majority of the Kingdom's population is from the younger generation.

In the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the first edition of the Esports World Cup concluded in Riyadh City, where the Crown Prince awarded the Saudi Falcons team the Esports World Cup title. Competing against nearly five hundred teams and 1,500 professional players from around the world, the Falcons claimed the top prize of USD7 million from a total prize pool of over USD60 million, the largest in esports history. The team secured 5,665 points from its participation in twelve tournaments, including first-place wins in both the Call of Duty: Warzone and Free Fire tournaments.

The Esports World Cup tournament, which spanned eight weeks in 2024, achieved record-breaking figures on multiple levels. The tournament attracted over one million visitors and contributed to a more than 29 percent increase in the number of visitors to Riyadh City during the event compared to the previous year. More than thirty-two entertainment and cultural events were held alongside the tournament, and it was watched by over five hundred million viewers, with total viewing hours exceeding 250 million, recording the highest number in the world in the eSports sector.

The Esports World Cup tournament contributed to strengthening the Kingdom's commitment to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, diversifying the economy, enhancing the tourism sector, creating opportunities, and providing high-level entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors. The tournament is a key contributor to the gaming and esports sector strategy, which aims to generate more than SAR50 billion for the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 and create 39,000 new job opportunities while transforming Riyadh into the capital of esports.

The tournament was held in indoor arenas, accompanied by various activities and events, offering an opportunity to attract a new segment of visitors interested in the esports sector and stimulate the tourism sector in Riyadh during the summer. This contributed to boosting occupancy rates in hospitality venues, which usually see a decline of up to 16 percent during the summer, in addition to addressing the typical 18 percent drop in tourism spending during the same period. Additionally, the tournament will help compensate for the noticeable summer decline in spending at restaurants and cafes, which typically drops by 13 percent, and overall consumer spending, which usually decreases by 9 percent.

The Esports World Cup tournament, which brings together the gaming and esports community of players, fans, game developers, and publishers, serves as a global platform that supports the growth of the esports industry. With a unique multi-game and multi-category format, it allows top clubs to compete while enhancing the efforts of various entities in the Kingdom and around the world to elevate the status of esports. The tournament redefines its positive impact on communities, promotes cultural exchange, and encourages brands to adopt esports as a promising and essential field for investment.

The gaming and esports sector is one of the fastest-growing industries globally, with the global economy in this sector valued at approximately USD200 billion, according to the latest statistics in 2023. This success is an extension of the major events and activities hosted by the Kingdom, reinforcing its position as a global destination. Among these is the announcement of hosting the Olympic Esports Games in 2025, underscoring the Kingdom's commitment to developing and promoting this promising sector. This aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify the economy, enhance the tourism sector, and provide high-quality entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors alike. It also supports the gaming and esports sector strategy launched by the Crown Prince on September 15, 2022, which focuses on creating locally developed games that rank among the top global games, providing infrastructure to develop talent, and producing games that promote Arab and Saudi culture. The Kingdom's interest in the sector highlights its potential to attract global investors, and its impact on economic, social, cultural, and entertainment levels.