Under the esteemed patronage of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the inaugural Esports World Cup successfully concluded today in Riyadh.
Over the past 8 weeks, clubs and players from across the globe came together in Riyadh to compete in the first-ever Esports World Cup.
With a total prize pool of over $60 million, the event attracted around 500 teams and 1,500 professional players, marking it as the largest event in Esports history.
In a proud moment for the Kingdom, HRH the Crown Prince crowned the Saudi club "Team Falcons" as champions of the Esports World Cup 2024. The Falcons secured a total of $7 million in prize money, emerging as the top club in this historic competition.
Team Falcons led the rankings with 5,665 points earned across 12 tournaments, achieving first place in both the "Call of Duty: Warzone" and "Free Fire" championships. This victory showcases the Kingdom’s exceptional national talent in the esports sector.
This event, uniting the gaming and esports community, brought together players, fans, game developers, and publishers from around the world, marking a significant milestone for the esports industry.
With its unique multi-game and multi-genre format, the competition not only featured tournaments among the world’s top clubs, but also strengthened efforts by various entities within the Kingdom and globally to advance the esports landscape. It highlighted the positive impact of esports on communities, enhanced cultural exchange, and encouraged brands to recognize esports as a promising and vital investment opportunity.
The Esports World Cup set record-breaking milestones. It attracted over two million visitors, contributing to over 29% increase in visitors to Riyadh during the event period compared to the same timeframe the previous year. The event also featured more than 32 side entertainment and cultural activities. Across its eight-week run, the Esports World Cup recorded more than 500 million viewers, totaling more than 250 million hours watched—setting a new global record for this year.
The gaming and esports sector is among the fastest-growing industries worldwide, with the global market reaching approximately $200 billion in 2023.
This success continues the Kingdom’s tradition of hosting major events and activities, solidifying its position as a premier global destination. These efforts include hosting the Esports World Cup and the recently announced Olympic Esports Games in 2025.
This highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to not only developing and elevating this promising sector, but also to delivering on the goals of Vision 2030. These goals include diversifying the economy, boosting promising sectors, and offering world-class entertainment for citizens, residents and visitors alike.
The Kingdom’s dedication to the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, launched by HRH the Crown Prince in September 2022, is evident in its efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for this industry by 2030.
The success of the Esports World Cup marks a significant step forward in the realization of this ambition.
