HRH The Crown Prince Crowns Team Falcons As Champions Of The Inaugural Esports World Cup

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.

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.

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.

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 last 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.

Advancing Esports Landscape

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 Saudi Arabia and globally to advance esports. It highlighted esports' positive impact on communities, enhanced cultural exchange, and encouraged brands to recognize esports as a promising investment opportunity.

The Kingdom’s dedication to its National Gaming and Esports Strategy is evident. Launched by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in September 2022, it aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for this industry by 2030. The success of this event marks a significant step forward in realizing this ambition.

This highlights Saudi Arabia's commitment to developing this promising sector while delivering on Vision 2030 goals. These goals include diversifying the economy, boosting promising sectors, and offering world-class entertainment for citizens, residents and visitors alike.

With inputs from SPA