Destination KSA - Your Guide to Saudi

Destination KSA - Your Guide to Saudi

Esports World Cup Kicks Off to Record-Breaking Success

Esports World Cup Kicks Off to Record-Breaking Success

The Esports World Cup has made a huge impact in Saudi Arabia and the global gaming community since its exciting debut on July 3, offering top-tier competition on an unprecedented scale to attendees and viewers worldwide.


The Esports World Cup, held at Boulevard Riyadh City until August 25, is a worldwide celebration of competitive gaming and esports passion. It brings together top clubs and athletes from around the globe in a groundbreaking format, offering a record-breaking $60 million prize pool across 22 competitions in 21 leading games.

Esports World Cup Kicks Off to Record-Breaking Success

With esports history in the making, organizers and participants are thrilled by the overwhelming response from global audiences. Week 1 has been celebrated as an incredible success, marked by thrilling tournaments and massive viewership both onsite and online.

 

Reflecting on Esports World Cup’s opening week, Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said: “It’s been an amazing first week at the Esports World Cup and as tournament host, there’s nothing more rewarding for us than the incredible reaction and reception we’ve seen – not only from fans in attendance but also the millions more following from afar around the world. We’ve seen something beyond our wildest expectations.”

 

The event kicked off in Riyadh last Wednesday, with His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, declaring the Esports World Cup as a landmark day in esports history.

 

After a spectacular opening ceremony featuring pyrotechnics and drone displays, the inaugural week at the state-of-the-art SEF Arena was highlighted by four tournaments: Call of Duty: Warzone, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends, and Dota 2.

 

Faisal bin Homran, Chief Product Officer at the Esports World Cup Foundation, insisted that bringing together the world’s biggest and best games under one banner has fulfilled the dreams of every gaming fan. He said: “The opening week of the Esports World Cup has been a phenomenal success and truly exceeded expectations. The reaction from gaming fans, both in person at Boulevard Riyadh City and virtually from every corner of the globe, has proven every thought we ever had about why the Esports World Cup would be so popular. For years, the global community has craved being able to watch the best clubs and the best players performing in titles that everyone wants to watch – and, hosted in Riyadh, the Esports World Cup has fully fulfilled that desire.”

Esports World Cup Kicks Off to Record-Breaking Success

During Week 1, the excitement peaked with the Call of Duty: Warzone and League of Legends competitions concluding on Saturday and Sunday. Team Falcons, representing Saudi Arabia, claimed victory in the Call of Duty: Warzone final, while South Korean club T1, inspired by esports legend Faker, emerged victorious in the League of Legends competition at the Esports World Cup.

 

Commenting on the Esports World Cup Call of Duty: Warzone and League of Legends competitions, Ralf Reichert added: “Sports is always a tale of winners and losers where people come together in one place in time to share one emotion – excitement. Both finals this weekend, for Call of Duty: Warzone and League of Legends, brought this sort of a spectacle to the Esports World Cup that the event is worthy of. This was the best we could have hoped for: both were sold out and both had fantastic energy thanks to so many passionate fans in the room. Everything we do is for them – and they are the reason why the Esports World Cup is here.”

 

Faisal bin Homran also applauded hometown heroes Team Falcons on their historic victory. He said: “A special mention to Team Falcons, the Saudi Arabian club who became the first winner of a tournament at the Esports World Cup. At a packed SEF Arena, their Call of Duty: Warzone triumph showed the gaming world that Saudi sides are a force to be reckoned with. We look forward immensely to the remaining seven weeks of the Esports World Cup, confident that what comes next will be even bigger and better than the incredible beginning.”

Esports World Cup Kicks Off to Record-Breaking Success

The Esports World Cup supports Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, aiming to make the Kingdom a global gaming hub and contribute $13 billion to the national GDP by 2030.

Week 2 of the Esports World Cup starts on Wednesday, July 10, featuring quarter-final matches for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the first group stage matches for Dota 2.

The $1 million Free Fire competition also begins on the same day, with all three tournaments running daily throughout Week 2, ending on Sunday, July 14.

 

For more information on scheduling and results, visit the Esports World Cup website.


 


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