Riyadh: His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, where he crowned ‘Team Falcons’ as the tournament’s champion. Team Falcons secured the top spot with 5,200 points, earning the grand prize of $7 million from a total prize pool exceeding $70 million, marking the largest in global esports history.
According to Saudi Press Agency, HRH the Crown Prince’s presence underscores his continued support for the gaming and esports sector, guided by the National Gaming and Esports Strategy he initiated in 2022. This strategy aims to foster a competitive and sustainable sector to meet the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, including creating 39,000 jobs, contributing up to SAR50 billion to GDP by 2030, nurturing startups, and attracting global investment in gaming and esports.
CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation Ralf Reichert commended the Crown Prince’s backing, highlighting the Kingdom’s success in crafting a unique global experience that combined diverse games, robust competitions, and worldwide engagement through both in-person and online channels. The seven-week tournament featured participation from 2,000 professional players across 200 clubs from 100 countries, competing in 25 tournaments with the most popular esports titles.
The event set records in tournaments, prize value, and audience participation, further emphasizing its global appeal. The Esports World Cup emerged from a Saudi initiative announced by HRH the Crown Prince in 2023, with Riyadh hosting its first edition in 2024, setting the stage for the 2025 edition’s unprecedented technical and organizational achievements.
Hosting this remarkable tournament has solidified Saudi Arabia’s global standing in gaming and esports, offering a unique experience that combined competition with innovation. Performance metrics showed a 53% increase in ticket sales, a 40% rise in content demand, and a 64% growth in international sales.
Broadcasts of the competitions reached over 100 countries in 35 languages, showcasing the scale of organization and level of participation. Boulevard Riyadh City welcomed over 3 million visitors throughout the tournament, while more than 750 million viewers worldwide tuned in via digital platforms, with total watch time exceeding 350 million hours. The event featured over 1,500 community, cultural, and entertainment activities, enriching the experience for attendees.
With the Esports World Cup 2025 concluded, Riyadh continues to assert itself as a global esports capital, adding another milestone to Saudi Arabia’s international achievements and supporting the growth of its sports and entertainment sectors through digital transformation.
