Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, has just announced the Esports World Cup 2024. This event is an annual event to be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Gamers8 have also stated that this event is going to be an upgrade to the $45,000,000 USD series of tournaments that they put on in 2023.
Gamers8 quote tweet is responding to the Saudi_Esports Twitter account. There is a direct quote from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman:
“The Esports World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the boundaries of the industry. The competition will enhance our progress towards realising the Vision 2030 objectives of diversifying the economy, growing the tourism sector, creating new jobs in various industries, and providing world-class entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors alike.”
The event will be run by the Esports World Cup Foundation. This is a new government-founded non-profit organisation that claims it will drive sustainability in the sector by collaborating with various esports stakeholders. In 2023 the Saudi Esports Federation hosted Gamers8 which has a $45m prize pool across all their tournaments. This included a $15m Dota 2 tournament, the Riyadh Masters, which was won by Team Spirit. It also included a $1m Gamers8 CSGO tournament that was won by Team Vitality.
Despite all the criticism that Saudi Arabia has received, this is an enormous cashflow injection into esports. A lot of organisations are crying for support with funding at the moment. It is touted that the Esports World Cup total prize pool will eclipse that of Gamers8 in 2023. This means that more than $45m (~£37.96m) in prizing is expected across a number of esports titles.
Here are all the games that had a prize pool as part of Gamers8 in 2023:
- Fortnite
- Tekken 7
- PUBG Mobile
- Rainbow Six Siege
- FIFA
- Dota 2
- Counter-Strike
- Rennsport
- Starcraft 2
- Street Fighter 6
- PUBG
- Rocket League
What does the Esports World Cup 2024 mean for betting?
This is where it becomes really interesting for betting enthusiasts. Betting is famously outlawed in Saudi Arabia. So it is unlikely we will see any betting sponsors taking part in the tournament itself. What does it mean for the data that bookmakers are trying to get hold of to create odds and markets? This does suggest that when markets are available for the Esports World Cup 2024 events, that it might not have as much variety as other tournaments. Regardless, if the top teams are going to flock to this event then there will be betting activity one way or another.
Especially given how much prize money is expected to be handed out. Despite there being many digital protests against Saudi’s increased involvement in esports, speculation suggests that few will avoid the event. Whatever happens next year, this is a hugely ambitious project undertaken by IESF and the Esports World Cup Foundation. With the recent purchase of EFG, it is highly likely that ESL will be involved in the production. This should make it a good esports spectacle irrespective of the narrative behind the scenes.
