Esports World Cup concludes in Riyadh

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman attended the closing of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh on Sunday. Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah also joined the ceremony.

The Crown Prince presented the trophy to Team Falcons, who won the championship with 5,200 points. Mossad Al-Dossary, chairman of Team Falcons, received the trophy. The team earned two tournament wins and six top-three finishes. They took home 7 million dollars from a record prize pool of more than 70 million dollars.

The closing event drew a large audience and global online viewers. It featured live performances and appearances by top stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who celebrated with the Falcons.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation and Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, spoke at the event. Reichert said the Kingdom had created a unique global esports experience that combined competition and entertainment.

The championship hosted 2,000 professional players from 200 clubs representing 100 countries. They competed in 25 tournaments. More than 750 million viewers followed online, with 350 million hours of content watched.

Ticket sales rose by 53 percent compared to last year. Demand for content grew by 40 percent and international sales by 64 percent.

Matches were broadcast in 35 languages to over 100 countries.

Boulevard Riyadh City welcomed more than three million visitors during the tournament. Over 1,500 community, cultural and entertainment activities were held on the sidelines.

The Esports World Cup was launched by the Crown Prince in 2023 and Riyadh hosted the first edition in 2024.