Saudi Crown Prince, mohammed bin salmanannounced on Monday the launch of its first eSports World Cup“the largest event of its kind in the world”, will be organized annually in the Arab Kingdom starting in the summer of 2024 and will be attended by famous Portuguese football players cristiano ronaldo.
An official statement said the tournament “will serve as an important platform that will help raise the standards of the growing gaming and esports industry” while “establishing Saudi Arabia’s position as the most prestigious sports and pioneering destination for global competitions.”
This announcement was published on new world sports congressHosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and attended by sports leaders such as Portuguese stars or the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantinoand video games around the world.
bin salman – professed a passion for video games – also announced the creation of Creation of the E-Sports World Cupa non-profit organization that will be responsible for organizing the tournament and will be “the engine that takes the field into a new phase of cooperation” between video gaming and sports partners and competent entities.
According to the note, Saudi Arabia estimates that the event will “contribute more than 50 billion riyals (approximately $13.328 billion) to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2030, in addition to providing more than 39,000 new jobs.” ”, which “will make Riyadh the capital of video games.”
The event, planned to be held in closed rooms with various events and activities, is a unique opportunity to attract a new category of tourists interested in the video games industry and activate Riyadh’s tourism industry during the summer.
Early August, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) Announcing the establishment of a sports investment company SRJwhose goal is to purchase and create new sports events and commercial rights to sports competitions.
The company recently acquired two esports companies and in 2021 acquired 100% of English football club Newcastle United and formed a group with two esports companies to seek leadership in the industry.
In addition, last September, bin Salman announced a strategy to invest approximately US$38 billion over the next eight years to attract up to 250 companies to establish the country as a “decisive node in the video game and e-sports industry.” Create 39,000 jobs and contribute approximately US$13.3 billion to GDP annually.