The Esports World Cup in Riyadh next month promises to be the biggest of its kind in history. It will host 25 tournaments in a purpose-built arena of five halls, each with a capacity of more than 1,000 people, over a span of seven weeks – three weeks longer than the 2022 World Cup.
The $70 million prize money dwarfs that of previous competitions, and, if last year’s figures are anything to go by, it could grab half a billion viewers.
The EWC has become the flagship esports competition, in which online gamers compete for cash prizes in structured leagues and tournaments. Last year, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a well-known gamer, attended the closing ceremony in person, alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
The competition’s organisers say that plans are already underway for 2026 and they are looking at ways to partner with computer game publishers and studios both at home and abroad, in an effort to put Saudi Arabia at the centre of a niche but growing sport.
“We’re fundamentally a non-profit,” says Mike McCabe, chief operating officer of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “The mandate we have as part of the national gaming and esports strategy within the kingdom is really to support the ecosystem.”
According to Niko Partners, which produces video game market intelligence, more than half of self-described gamers in Saudi Arabia engage in esports, whether by watching or competing.
The Saudi video game market is growing faster than other countries in the region, with Niko projecting a five-year compound annual growth rate of more than 2 percent to hit $1.7 billion in 2029.
The kingdom is investing in video games across the board, linked to its Vision 2030 diversification goals. Savvy Games Group, a company owned by the Public Investment Fund, has announced that it intends to create 250 game developers and contribute $13 billion to GDP by 2030.
“The real challenge for Saudi Arabia is to create a domestic video game and esports ecosystem that can rival those currently found in the US, Japan and China,” says Lisa Hanson, founder and chief executive of Niko Partners.
However, in September last year, Prince Faisal bin Bandar al Saud, the chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said that events like the EWC were unlikely to turn a profit.
“There is a huge reliance on sponsorships,” he said, “which is never going to cover all of your costs.”
The nature of the sport, which attracts large streaming audiences but has historically sold low numbers of tickets, makes it difficult to turn a profit on in-person events.
“The return on investment is not yet that great,” said Tobias Scholz, associate professor for Academic Esports and Company Esports at the University of Agder, saying that EWC is almost certainly running at “a huge loss”.
Nevertheless, he said, “there is a growth potential [in Saudi Arabia]. It’s one of the next big markets in terms of audience.”
The kingdom’s place in the market comes at an opportune time. Despite a growing interest in esports worldwide, few organisations have been able to capitalise on its potential.
Backed by PIF and other organisations, Saudi Arabia has quickly claimed a spot at the top table, investing millions in promoting the sport. EWC’s collaboration with Amazon Prime to produce Esports World Cup: Level Up, a documentary on the 2024 event in Riyadh, is one attempt to present the sport to a new audience.
For competitors themselves, the $70 million pot on offer is a big draw. Competitions with sizable cash prizes are few and far between, presenting EWC with an opportunity to attract top talents at a fraction of what it would cost in other sports.
“If you give Ronaldo a couple of million, he doesn’t care,” says Scholz. “But look at esports: if you win $1 million, that is life-changing.”
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