RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris on Sunday.
The event, which brought together the leading performers in Esports ranging from computer games to chess was held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
The first two editions of the EWC had been hosted in the Saudi capital to great fanfare, but an uncertain regional geopolitical climate called for a new home in 2026. Paris, only announced as new the host in May, has turned out to be an inspired choice.
The French capital was set the urgent task of ensuring the event moved seamlessly from Riyadh. Since then, Paris has shown just how much the EWC is now a global event, attracting over 2,000 players and 200 clubs from more than 100 nations since it kicked off on July 3.
A Chinese team, All Gamers, on Sunday beat double-champions Team Falcons from Saudi Arabia to win the video-gaming EWC. Macron spoke with leading gamers and handed out trophies at the event.
Action from the tournament has been broadcast to 160 countries across OTT partners, streaming platforms and digital services, with figures expected to hit 7,000 hours of live programming produced throughout the competition.
Next year’s edition is planned to be back in Riyadh.
