Footballers Neymar and Diogo Jota were among the crowds at the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh last Sunday (21 July).
The Liverpool and former Paris Saint-Germain player attended the Saudi-hosted event, which Jota described as a “truly amazing experience”.
Launched this year, the Esports World Cup features a unique cross-game structure pitting the world’s top clubs and players against one another across 22 global competitions in 21 leading games.
Boasting a prize pool of $60m – the largest in the history of esports – the tournament has caught the attention of not only the esports sector but the sporting world. A wide array of brands partnered with the competition, which was streamed on DAZN.
Neymar, who now plays for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, attended the event to watch the Counter-Strike 2 finals and to meet HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF).
Fellow footballer Jota also took time before his season with Liverpool starts in August to watch participants battle it out. The Premier League player is an avid gamer and Twitch streamer, who also owns an esports team of his own, Luna Galaxy.
Commenting on the event, Jota said: “Being here at the inaugural Esports World Cup is a truly amazing experience. The organisation and scale behind this event are truly impressive, even more than I anticipated. I’ve always believed in the potential of esports, even before starting my own team, and EWC is proof that this scene is evolving rapidly.
“This level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what esports needs to grow and reach a wider audience. I’m excited to see how EWC continues to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming.”
Saudi’s involvement and work to boost the esports sector has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) partnered with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to host the first-ever Olympic Esports Games.