The Saudi Esports Federation is the entity responsible for overseeing esports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established in 2017 with the aim of building and developing gaming communities, creating a supportive environment for the growth of athletes in this field, and establishing an electronic system that connects the Kingdom to the world, enabling Saudi athletes to compete globally. The federation consists of a chairman and several board members.
In 2019, the Saudi Esports Federation organized the first edition of the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman eLeague, an electronic football tournament similar to the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Professional League, in which Saudi Professional League clubs compete. It includes sixteen teams and thirty-two players.
The Saudi Esports Federation championships
The Saudi Esports Federation organized multiple national and international sports championships, including Gamers without Borders, the eMBS League, which attracted valuable local and global investments, the Kingdom eCup, and the Esports Federation Championship.
The federation also organized programs to develop specialized content for electronic sports and games, in addition to the Voices of Saudi Esports program that supports content creators and improves their competence and skills.
Saudi eLeagues
The Saudi Esports Federation organized the first edition of the Saudi eLeague in March 2021, with the aim of enabling Saudi players to reach advanced levels in esports. The tournaments included DOTA 2, CS: GO, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, and Call of Duty.
The prizes for the league tournaments amount to around SAR4 million, with 240 players competing across twenty-three teams.
Esports Federation Cup
The Saudi Esports Federation held the Esports Federation Cup for the first time in 2021, open to all local clubs from various provinces of the Kingdom, to compete in different esports. The tournament aimed to strengthen players' presence in local competitions and promote the culture of this type of sport. A total of fifty sports clubs and three hundred players participated in the tournament.
Club Support Programs in Saudi Esports Federation
The Saudi Esports Federation supports e-clubs in the Kingdom through special programs to develop their levels, from emerging clubs to professional clubs, to create a sustainable society for developing sports and electronic games and highlighting the Saudi position in the classification of international competitive tournaments.
SEF Awards
The Saudi Esports Federation presents the SEF Awards, which support and develop talented individuals in the esports sector and encourage them to grow. The awards target categories such as: Best Rising Male and Female Esports Players, Best Team for Group Games, Best Content Creator in any form on social media, and Best Streamer to the best live streaming content on social media.
The Saudi Esports League
The Saudi Esports League encompasses all electronic leagues in the Kingdom, featuring esports where professional players compete against one another. The leagues aim to discover and develop professional players and clubs, in addition to creating an environment that provides them with the opportunity to compete and excel both locally and internationally, as well as represent the Kingdom in international forums. The prizes for the Saudi Esports League amount to approximately SAR5 million, and the Saudi Esports League consists of two editions each season. One edition includes seven titles and fourteen tournaments, in which more than five hundred professional players compete. The Saudi Esports League was launched in 2020 with a single edition, and the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons featured two editions, bringing the total to seven editions.
"Gamers8: Land of Heroes"
Gamers8 is a major gathering for gaming and esports, serving as a competitive destination for elite esports players and enthusiasts from around the world, held in the capital, Riyadh. It brought together a selection of international clubs over eight weeks, from July to September, where champions competed in esports tournaments.
The season is based on four main pillars: professional esports competitions, entertainment shows, concerts, and the "Next World Forum," which brings together leaders from the esports and gaming sectors and experts from around the world. The first edition in 2022 achieved great success, attracting around 1.4 million visitors and being watched by approximately 132 million people worldwide for the professional esports competitions.
The first season witnessed the participation of 113 global professional teams and 391 professional players from sixty-one countries in multiple tournaments across several globally renowned video games, such as Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, with prizes totaling USD15 million awarded to the winning teams. The season concluded with the Next World Forum, which brought together leaders and experts from the sector from various parts of the world.
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