In fact, esports is growing rapidly in the MENA region, with new tournaments and leagues announced every two days. This phenomenon is attracting interest from both players and investors, who see potential in sponsoring or partnering with esports teams and players.

Esports organizations are popping up everywhere, and sponsors are starting to take notice. What is driving this booming industry? And why is it growing so quickly in the MENA region?

The History of Esports Around the World

Although modern technology has only recently made it possible for the world to take part in large-scale international esports events, the term has been around since 1982, when the Space Invaders Championship was held, with around 10 000 players from different European countries taking part. In the following years, esports continued to grow in popularity until 2003, when the first international esports tournament was announced.

The tournament was the first time in history that international players were prepared and trained to play against one another in large halls packed with thousands of fans and esports enthusiasts.

Esports Comes to the Middle East

Likewise, esports is also gaining momentum in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East. Dubai organized the region's first esports event in collaboration with Galaxy Racer. The company is headquartered in the city and boasts a global presence across the MENA region, North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. As a result, esports in the Middle East has shown incredible promise, and many countries have welcomed it as an excellent source of revenue to further develop the region.

Even North African countries such as Egypt have begun to encourage esports and prepare players to participate in international events. In fact, the country is a prominent regional competitor and earned 172 million dollars in revenue last year!

Esports in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has also made efforts to promote esports in the region. The governor of the Saudi city of Riyadh, Faisal bin Bandar, announced the establishment of RUSH Festival 2021 as part of the popular Riyadh Season 2021. It was the country's first large-scale esports event, with a prize pool of 1 000 000 SAR. , featuring games from several genres. Although Saudi Arabia is a newcomer to the industry, its excellent purchasing power has helped the country become an esports hub in the MENA region.

It has also managed to earn higher revenues than other Arab countries. Arab casino expert Tariq Al-Badr commented on the situation, noting that gambling revenues and profits in the region reached 1,76 billion dollars, primarily due to Saudi Arabia. In one of his articles, he cited a report that mentioned an annual growth rate of 13,8% in the region.

Saudi Arabia's Acquisition of FACEIT. Saudi Arabia has spent a great deal of time, money, and resources to become one of the leading countries in the esports industry. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund aims to further expand the country's global presence in gaming. As a result, the sovereign wealth fund created its own esports and gaming company, Savvy Gaming, to set Saudi Arabia on a path to expansion.

The country is home to promising young people who show an affinity for the industry, highlighting Saudi Arabia's untapped potential. Earlier this month, Savvy Gaming became the second-largest owner of Embracer Group AB. It did so by purchasing nearly 100 million shares in the Swedish company. The company is working to increase its stake in esports.

FACEIT is another worthy competitor in esports that Saudi Arabia managed to acquire through Savvy Gaming Group. FACEIT was created as an esports platform in early 2012 and has overseen countless games, including Counter-Strike. The deal was worth around 500 million dollars.

Alongside FACEIT, Saudi Arabia also acquired ESL, perhaps the world's leading esports tournament organizer. It has successfully organized, hosted, and held massive international tournaments for Counter-Strike and DOTA2, with prize pools running into the millions! Savvy Gaming Group hopes that its recent acquisitions and investments will help Saudi Arabia establish itself in esports in the MENA region. In this regard, ESL will greatly benefit the country by allowing esports to thrive in the region.

To sum up

Esports has become  a popular sports category with millions of subscribers. Saudi Arabia has demonstrated great gaming potential: many Arab players under 25 years old actively participate in several popular games, such as Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, League of Legends, and FIFA. It will be interesting to see how the sport develops in the region over the coming years. The rapid growth of esports in the region will also open the door to exciting new sports betting opportunities for avid players in Saudi Arabia!