Riyadh, October 23, 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled plans for the Esports World Cup, an annual competition set to launch in Riyadh from the summer of 2024. This groundbreaking event, the largest of its kind worldwide, serves as a significant step to boost the gaming and esports sector while elevating the Kingdom's stature as a global hub for esports and sports competitions.
In conjunction with the announcement of the Esports World Cup, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman introduced the Esports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to fostering collaboration among esports stakeholders and advancing the sector's sustainability. The grand reveal took place at "The New Global Sport Conference," hosted by Saudi Arabia and attended by high-ranking officials and leaders from the sports, gaming, and esports domains.
HRH the Crown Prince emphasized, "The Esports World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the boundaries of the industry. The competition will enhance our progress towards realizing the Vision 2030 objectives of diversifying the economy, growing the tourism sector, creating new jobs in various industries, and providing world-class entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors alike."
This significant launch underlines Saudi Arabia's ongoing commitment to cultivating and expanding the esports sector, in line with its ambitions to foster the growth of the entertainment and sports industries, both domestically and internationally. The tournament capitalizes on the enthusiasm for gaming among the country's predominantly youthful population, leveraging homegrown esports successes like GAMERS8's inaugural and second editions. The Esports World Cup also aligns with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to boost the sector's contribution to Saudi Arabia's GDP by over SAR 50 billion by 2030, generating 39,000 new job opportunities.
The Esports World Cup will provide a nurturing environment for the development and sustainability of players, clubs, and the sector as a whole. The competition will encompass a wide array of the world's most popular games across various genres and boast the largest prize pool in esports history. A distinctive cross-game competition format will incentivize and reward clubs striving to become the ultimate Esports World Cup Champion, thus fostering the growth and resilience of all esports clubs.
The tournament will also incorporate a diverse range of activities and events, designed to draw visitors and tourists to Riyadh, effectively transforming it into a gaming capital. Notably, the indoor tournament is poised to become a major attraction, helping to bolster Saudi tourism during the summer season. This initiative is especially significant given the average 16% decline in hotel occupancy rates, an 18% reduction in tourism spending, a 13% decrease in restaurant and café expenditures, and a 9% dip in consumer purchasing power experienced in Saudi Arabia during the summer.
Further details about the Esports World Cup, along with the activities it will encompass, will be unveiled by the Esports World Cup Foundation early in the coming year.
