Prince Mohammed bin Salman Witnesses the Final Ceremony of the 2025 Esports World Cup, Crowned by Team Falcons

In a truly exceptional global event, the city of Riyadh hosted the final ceremony of the 2025 Esports World Cup. The event was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, who crowned the winning team, "Team Falcons," officially concluding a tournament that spanned seven weeks.

Team Falcons achieved a historic milestone by topping the tournament standings with 5,200 points, which earned them the grand prize of $7 million. This amount was part of the largest prize pool in the history of the esports industry, exceeding $70 million, and was distributed among the participating and winning teams and players.

The Crown Prince's attendance at the event underscores his continuous support for the gaming and esports sector, a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030. Through the National Gaming and Esports Strategy launched in 2022, the Kingdom aims to build a sustainable global competitive sector that will contribute to creating 39,000 jobs and injecting up to 50 billion riyals into the GDP by 2030. The strategy also focuses on supporting startup companies and attracting global investments in the field of gaming and esports.

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, praised the Crown Prince's support for the tournament, affirming that Saudi Arabia has succeeded in creating a unique global experience. He noted that the tournament combined a variety of games, intense competition, attractive entertainment experiences, and a massive global fan and media presence.

The tournament saw the participation of 2,000 professional players representing 200 clubs from 100 countries, who competed in 25 tournaments across the most popular electronic games worldwide. This made the event a record-breaker in terms of the number of tournaments, prize money, and audience engagement, with more than 750 million viewers globally. The "Boulevard Riyadh City" area also hosted over 3 million visitors, and the accompanying events included more than 1,500 community, cultural, and entertainment activities.

By hosting this exceptional event, the Kingdom has cemented its leading global position in the esports sector. It presented a unique experience that blends competition with innovation, which positively impacted performance indicators. The tournament recorded a 53% growth in ticket sales, a 40% rise in average content demand, and a 64% increase in international sales. The competitions were broadcast in 35 languages to over 100 countries, with world-class media production that reflected the high level of organization and attendance.

As the 2025 Esports World Cup concludes, Riyadh continues to establish itself as a global capital for esports, adding a new achievement to the Kingdom's long record of global successes, strengthening its goals for developing the sports and entertainment sectors, and accelerating the digital transformation towards broader horizons.