Saudi Crown Prince Witnesses Coronation of Esports World Cup Champions, Attended by the French President
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, graced the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Esports World Cup. His Highness the Crown Prince also witnessed the crowning of French club "Owl Gamers Global" (AG.L) as the champion of the 2026 Esports World Club Championship.
The winning team topped the overall tournament standings with 5,300 points, securing the grand prize of $7 million USD. This award came from a total prize pool exceeding $75 million USD, marking the largest prize pool in the history of the global esports sector, distributed among participating clubs and players based on their results and rankings.
His Highness the Crown Prince’s attendance at the tournament underscores his strong and continuous support for the gaming and esports sector. It also reflects the depth of Saudi-French relations and both countries’ shared commitment to leveraging sports, culture, and creative industries to enhance cooperation and partnership between them.
The tournament’s growth momentum continued this year, with events held over seven weeks from July 6 to August 23. The competition in the French capital delivered a unique experience blending competition and innovation, featuring broad global participation that included more than 200 teams and over 2,000 professional players from 100 countries. They competed in 25 championships featuring the world’s most popular esports titles.
The tournament also achieved record-breaking growth across various metrics. It witnessed massive fan attendance and recorded a significant 94% increase in ticket sales for esports competitions. Furthermore, more than 850 million viewers from around the world followed the competitions via digital platforms, accumulating over 440 million viewing hours through a global media production covering 47 languages.
On his part, Ralph Riechert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, praised the strong and continuous support the tournament receives from His Highness the Crown Prince. He emphasized that hosting the event in Paris represents a new international chapter in its journey, embodying the success of the model launched from Saudi Arabia to build a global sports and cultural platform capable of moving between major capitals, while continuing to position Riyadh as a primary hub and a cornerstone of its long-term vision.
Riechert congratulated "Owl Gamers Global" on their championship victory and thanked the city of Paris for its historic hosting of the tournament. He commended the role of the French government and various entities that contributed to the success of this event, which was held for the first time outside the Kingdom.
The Esports World Cup was launched based on an initiative announced by His Highness the Crown Prince in 2023. Riyadh hosted its first and second editions in 2024 and 2025, respectively, before continuing its growth trajectory and moving to Paris in 2026, the first international city to host the event outside the Kingdom.
With the conclusion of its third edition, this success reaffirms the Kingdom’s leading role in shaping the future of the sector globally, transforming youth passion for gaming into sustainable economic, professional, and cultural opportunities. Meanwhile, the tournament continues to solidify its status as a global platform that brings peoples and communities together around excellence, competition, and innovation.
