Meet The People Leading The Esports World Cup Into Its Second Year
The Esports World Cup kind of came out of nowhere in 2024 to instantly become the biggest thing in the world of esports. Within a few months of the announcement, thousands of the world's top gamers were in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, competing for millions of dollars and it surprised everyone. With many expecting an event of that size to not actually be possible thanks to the way esports has worked for the past 25 years.
Nothing on this scale had ever been attempted before. Sure the likes of the CGS back in the late 00s had tried multi-game competitions, but nothing even close to this kind of size had even been considered before Gamers8, the predecessor to EWC started up, and only last year did things really kick up a gear to make this a truly global event.
'The industry wasn't ready back then,' said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation and former CEO of ESL and EFG, a leading esports tournament organiser. 'In the early 2010s, esports was still maturing. The infrastructure, the global fanbase, and the investment needed to create a true World Cup just weren't there yet. At ESL/EFG, we helped pioneer many formats and events, but those were built around single games or regional formats. The EWC is something bigger: cross-game, cross-region, cross-publisher. That level of alignment takes deep cooperation across stakeholders, and the industry wasn't ready to collaborate like that a decade ago. Incredibly important to this equation is government backing. The Kingdom, with its National Gaming and Esports Strategy and Vision 2030, is significantly invested in seeing the EWC grow in a way that benefits its population and the industry overall.'
That backing was down to HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation. With a goal of growing the Saudi and wider MENA esports scene, the federation started to build on the relatively small base that was already in the region by the mid 2010s. After years of building things up, often without much fanfare in the wider world, it was time to launch the Esports World Cup, which is now dominating conversation in the industry.
'As a lifelong gamer myself, I've always seen how deeply rooted the passion for gaming is across our community,' said HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. 'That's what inspired the launch of the Saudi Esports Federation in 2017. At the time, the ecosystem was just beginning to take shape. We had one professional team, no formal infrastructure and limited global recognition. But even then, I knew there was something special here. Step by step, we worked to develop talent, build infrastructure and create opportunities for players, fans and professionals within the sector. The Esports World Cup is the culmination of everything we've been working towards. It's our hero event, one that brings together the best players, teams, publishers and fans from around the world. But more than that, it reflects the journey we've taken: from humble beginnings to now being at the center of the global esports conversation. It showcases what's possible when passion is matched with purpose and long-term commitment.'
FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™
Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase
Pinpoint By Linkedin
Guess The Category
Queens By Linkedin
Crown Each Region
Crossclimb By Linkedin
Unlock A Trivia Ladder
With a successful first year under their belt, it's now time for the difficult second album. The surprise factor has worn off, with the whole industry now having high expectations after its first year, and the pressure is on to at the very least match last year's event. The 2025 Esports World Cup officially opened today, with a press conference kicking things off and a massive opening ceremony featuring Post Malone due to take place later today in Riyadh.
The opening press conference welcomed fans to the event.
It's certainly a big start for the 2025 iteration of the event, designed to grab headlines and attention from the wider world. But for esports fans, the key factor is the level of competition and broadcast that this year's event can deliver. Lessons have been learnt from year one, and this year the biggest focus for the Esports World Cup federation has been on the fan and player experience.
'The EWC spans seven weeks, 25 tournaments, over 20 different games, 2,000 players, 200 Clubs, and global fanbases,' said Reichert. 'Running them simultaneously under one roof, without compromising competitive integrity or viewer experience, is one of the most complex things you can do in sports or entertainment. [But] it starts with one goal: make this the best experience of [fan's and player's] lives. We design everything around the people, not just the games. Life-changing prize money motivates and grabs the headlines, but respect and personal care and attention earn loyalty. You don't become the biggest esports event in the world just by being big, you get there by making every player and fan feel like it's theirs.'
With the first week of competition only just getting underway it's difficult to tell how successful this year's event will be when all is said and done, but the early signs are good. An expansion of the games played gives more players and fans a chance to experience the event, a larger prize pool, including a significant amount of support for clubs, gives the industry more financial stability and improved partnership programs means fans will get more content to enjoy and teams can earn even more cash.
Another successful event would truly establish the Esports World Cup as the annual celebration of all things esports. The scepticism from year one, with this relatively unknown event promising a lot, is gone, and a successful second outing would prove this model is sustainable in the current ecosystem. That would be a big step for the esports scene after a tough few years post COVID, and the people involved are hoping they can continue to grow, not just the EWC, but the wider industry as well.
'The Esports World Cup is an incredible milestone, but it's not the final destination,' said HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan. 'It's more like a crown jewel that shows what's possible. Our ambition is to continue growing and evolving, not just in terms of events but across the entire ecosystem. We want to see world champions from Saudi Arabia, both at the individual and team level. We want to support game developers, coaches, analysts, and content creators. We want to build national teams that compete at the highest level, and win. Most importantly, we want to keep this ecosystem open and accessible. Our aim is to inspire future generations, create opportunities, and lead the way in defining what the future of sport and entertainment can be.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Martin Buday 'very upset and very sad' about UFC exit despite 7-1 promotional record
Martin Buday was riding a three-fight win streak when his manager called in late July. The fighter, then ranked No. 12 in the UFC's heavyweight division, had just scored a unanimous decision win over the legendary jiu-jitsu champion Marcus Buchecha at UFC Abu Dhabi. Buday was still celebrating — Buchecha, after all, had been an idol of his for more than a decade. But on fight week, Buday said, the two foes 'separated any good emotions' during an impromptu meeting. They shook hands and wished the best man to win. That man, on July 26, was Buday. Buday out-struck Buchecha on the feet and successfully stuffed the jiu-jitsu ace's takedown attempts. He ground out a convincing but unspectacular win. The 33-year-old explained Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he knew the Buchecha bout would be the last of his UFC contract, but he'd been in that situation before. 'In the first contract, they let me fight it to the end,' he said. 'This was the same scenario, again.' Back then, an August 2023 first-round submission win over Josh Parisian helped seal Buday's fate. The UFC offered a four-fight contract extension. This time around, there was no such deal. There was no negotiation. The UFC was no longer in the Buday business. 'I found out last Wednesday [July 30],' said Buday. 'I got a call from my manager to say the UFC will not be extending the contract with us. So, it was pretty rough. I was very upset and very sad because I love UFC. I was hoping to get re-signed. I was sad about the situation.' Buday, who won seven of his eight UFC appearances in the promotion's heavyweight division, said he's aware of the reasons why. He'd been told his victories needed that punctuation mark — that slam dunk. Buday needed to finish people in exciting fashion, rather than win by decision, as all but the Parisian win were. 'My fights are not attractive on the eyes of the fan,' he said. 'But I do everything to secure the win. That was the main problem — I didn't have finishes in the fight.' When Buday lost by brutal, second-round knockout to Shamil Gaziev in 2023, he feared the worst. He feared the UFC would cut him from the roster. It was communicated to him that the UFC "was not happy with decisions.' He needed a big finish, he said. But, against Gaziev, it was he who got finished. Buday admitted he was worried. "It was a bad performance," he said. Regardless, Buday rebounded to win three fights in a row. He eked out a split decision over the former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in June 2024, even though Buday's father died during fight week. Buday 'wasn't there mentally' that week, or in the fight itself, he said. 'It was a very unfortunate situation for me.' Buday then scored a clear-cut unanimous decision over Uran Satybaldiev this past April. And then, of course, he beat Buchecha in what he described as his 'best performance in the UFC.' Ranked No. 12 in the division after a three-year grind, his exit from MMA's market-leader blindsided him somewhat. 'I was hoping after my last performance that I would be re-signed,' he said. Nonetheless, Buday chooses to look at the future with optimism as he's confident his skills are improving. There are also at least three organizations scrambling for his signature, he claimed. Buday said there is interest from the PFL, and that Oktagon MMA — a surging promotion in Europe — is also keen to bring its former champ back. 'I have some offers from other promoters all around the world,' he said. One other proposal was from GLORY Kickboxing, but Buday knocked back their advances. He wants his next move to stay within the realm of mixed martial arts. He would also spur any advances from KSW, if there were any, because he trains alongside Phil De Fries, the current KSW heavyweight champion. 'I will decline that offer instantly,' he said. 'I will not fight my teammates.' That leaves PFL and Oktagon. 'I like the interest from PFL, and also Oktagon MMA, where I was champion before the UFC,' he said, noting that he's leaning toward a return to the organization he fought for from 2018-21. 'They're doing incredible things and are No. 1 in Europe right now. Expanding big. Doing stadiums. Big promotion, and good for them.' If Buday continues sharpening his skills and starts finishing fights rather than simply winning them, then he hopes a return to the UFC is in the cards. It's a company he says he still loves. 'I want to thank them for making me the fighter and person I am today,' he said. 'If I do some good wins, good finishes, maybe they will be open to re-signing me.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Matt Turner feels back at home with New England Revolution
Goalkeeper Matt Turner was introduced (or re-introduced) by the New England Revolution on Monday, returning to the club he started his MLS career with back in 2016. Turner said he learned a lot during his time in Europe, and hopes to lead the Revs to success as he gears up for the World Cup.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Back With New England, USMNT GK Turner Is Ready To Turn Heads Again
It's a lot closer than you think. The kickoff of the World Cup might be 10 months away, but August could wind up turning into a vital month for the U.S. men's national team. Yes, there are no international friendlies scheduled until the international friendly against the Korea Republic at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6. But there will be important news transpiring off the field: As where various key players will be competing as they begin their tune-up and find their form for the 2026 World Cup. Over the weekend, it was reported that forward Tim Weah will be loaned by Juventus, where he wasn't getting much playing time, to Olympique Marseille in France. As it turns out, it is the same French Ligue 1 team that his father, the great George Weah, starred for, from 1992-95. On Friday, the New England Revolution announced that it had signed acquired goalkeeper Matt Turner for the rest of his Major League Soccer season and through June 30, 2026, with the Revs having option to buy his contract. No doubt he needs to play regularly if the 25-year-old native wants to be the U.S.'s goalkeeper for the second consecutive World Cup. A mercurial rise After signing with the club as an undrafted free agent out of Fairfield University in 2016, Turner played the next seven seasons with the Revs. During that span, the 6-foot-3, 180-lb. keeper earned 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS Best XI honors, secured the MLS All-Star Game MVP Award, and helped lead New England to its first Supporters' Shield title. Since venturing over to England to perform for Arsenal in 2022, Turner's playing time has been limited to a paltry 17 league matches. He bounced around to Nottingham Forest and then to Crystal Palace, making a handful of appearances, usually in cup competitions. He thought he finally found a team that he could call home when transferred to Lyon in France for $8 million. However, Lyon fell into financial trouble and the French Ligue 1 club and couldn't add Turner to its roster. So, he returned to New England. "My European adventure, it didn't go perfectly to plan but I did learn a lot along the way," he said during a Monday press conference. "So, I had some misfortunes. I had some opportunities that I didn't make the most of as well. It just didn't go perfectly to plan. However, like I said, I started my beautiful family over there, I have zero regrets about my time in England and I really loved it. I would never shut the door on a return either." Well, let's worry about the next year or so, please. Lyon not in the cards After thinking he finally found a home in Lyon, came the bad news that he could not play for the French side. 'It was a trying time, and it was difficult to be in limbo for a while," Turner said. "And thank you so much to my parents, and my wife's parents who are here today, because without them it would have been really difficult for our family. I mean, no one feels bad for a soccer player, right, because we make millions of dollars and it's all great and well and good, and your problems are insignificant." Turner said he was more concerned about his family, with finding the right schools for his two children and making sure his family had the proper health care insurance, regardless where they were. "Now, I turn to an extended family here in New England to take me in with open arms, and let me just focus on my work, and getting ready to achieve my ultimate goal, which we all know is to play in the 2026 World Cup here in the states,' he said. Not playing regularly wasn't the best way to prepare to play internationally, and especially for the USMNT. Unlike other positions on the soccer pitch, you can only use one goalie at a time. All the training sessions in the world can't make anyone into a world class goalkeeper. Games and vital decision-making under pressure when the game is on the line does. Playing for his country, not for his club Turner backstopped the USMNT for four games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and performed well. When he returned to Arsenal, the only action he saw was getting up and down from the bench. Observers, media and soccer aficionados feared he was going to lose that sharpness sooner or later. It came crashing down on him when Turner wasn't sharp enough to make a save against on what turned into the winning goal for Panama in a 2-1 win over the USA in the Concacaf Nations League as the three-time defending champions USA hit another devastating stumbling block as it continued to prepare itself for the World Cup. At the time, former USMNT goalkeeper and National Soccer Hall of Famer Tony Meola talked about the little nuances during the scoring sequence that was replayed for the audience. Cecilio Waterman, some 16 yards out on the right side of the penalty area, deposited the ball into the lower left corner just past the outstretched right hand of Turner. Meola felt that Turner should have taken another step from the goal to cut down the angle. "I look at the angle that Matt Turner took," he said on the Paramount+ postgame show. "I looked at the distance of the shot, where that shot was taken from. Okay, it was a little bit of pace. There's no doubt about that. I don't want to take anything away from the goal scorer, but in this moment … Matt Turner is a little bit tucked in near that in that near post. I had a perfect angle from my vantage point here. Just a little bit of a hop, just before he takes that. So, his feet aren't planted. He doesn't have some explosion to his right. "At the end of the day, in a moment like this, and I'm not I'm not blaming Matt Turner, but those are moments where you have to find a way. Just like a forward in the end, like [Patrick] Agyemang has to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. Josh Sargent has to find a way. A goalkeeper on the other end of the field has to find a way to make a save." Sharpness matters, especially for a goalie. A wake-up call Turner received the ultimate slap in the face from USMNT Mauricio Pochettino, who anointed New York City FC keeper Matt Freese as the team's No. 1 for the Concacaf Gold Cup in June and July. Looking back at that time, Turner saw that as a wake-up call. Freese played in all six games as the Americans lost to Mexico in the final. 'Yeah, obviously I was frustrated," he said. "Anytime you're a competitor and you get the opportunity to play, you want to play. But I had multiple conversations throughout the summer with the gaffer there at the national team. Sometimes you're just in a cycle and you need somebody to help you snap out of it a little bit. I think it took [Pochettino] to sort of help me take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, because I obviously was not playing at my best leading into that. I think sometimes you just have to shake it up a little bit to help the player then launch forward and achieve what the coach knows that the player and the player knows that they can achieve. 'So, for me I know what I can achieve, and his support was massive. He helped me to create a new perspective, create new relationships with guys on the team that I might not have had the chance to, and in another sort of scenario where I was playing. And I think also just to look at things from a different side, and show my leadership through a different way. I was grateful for the opportunity that he gave me in that sense, and now I think I can sort of see, with this journey that I've been on, that being in New England was the right place for me to continue to hone those skills, to create new relationships, to play games, to find my happiness in the sport. And then in turn I can give my best to him and to the National Team as well. I think if you look back at some of my greatest national team games, obviously the World Cup was amazing, but some of my greatest National Team games happened when I was here playing in New England.' Turner hoped that history will repeat itself in time for the next World Cup. He is expected to get plenty of games with the Revolution, where he will replace regular keeper, Slovenian native Aljaz Ivacic. When asked if was going to make his MLS season debut against D.C. United on Saturday, Turner replied: 'I'll let the coach [Caleb Porter] make the decision at the end of the day. But, I'm eager to integrate myself with the squad, show my qualities to everybody, and earn my place on the field.' A game-changer Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo had no doubt that Turner will make an impact immediately for a 6-11-7 team with 25 points that is mired in 11th place in the MLS Eastern Conference, 10 points out of ninth place and the final MLS Cup Playoffs wildcard berth. "Matt is a game-changer," he said. "He's one of these guys that can turn a shot that should be a goal into a save." Turner and Weah weren't the only USMNT players who were in limbo this summer. Several of their teammates need to find new homes as the start of the various European seasons is right around the corner, later this month. The list includes midfielder-forward Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), whose potential transfer to Parma (Italy) came apart last week because his Bundesliga side felt the offer wasn't big enough, and forward Josh Sargent (Norwich City), who nixed a move from the English Championship to Wolfsburg because he didn't want to move to Germany, even though it would be high level of competition. If their teams or agents don't get things sorted out soon, it could be a long, frustrating season for those two players with the World Cup looming closer than you think. Michael Lewis can be followed on X at Soccerwriter and on BlueSky at Soccerwriter.
