Iran war hits Saudi gaming drive as Esports Nations Cup pushed to 2027
The postponement is a blow for the kingdom, which has made growing its esports sector one of the main priorities under its Vision 2030.
The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), scheduled to take place in Riyadh this November, has been postponed to November 2027 due to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
What happened: The Esports Foundation (EF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the global esports industry, said in a statement on Tuesday that it postponed the event given the “ENC’s unprecedented international scale and the uncertainty created by the wider regional situation.”
The ENC was due to bring together teams and stakeholders from more than 100 countries and territories.
“The decision to postpone the Esports Nations Cup was not taken lightly,” EF CEO Ralf Reichert said in a statement. “The response from National Team Partners, publishers, players and communities around the world has shown us how much potential this competition has. We owe them an inaugural ENC delivered under the right conditions and at the level this idea deserves.”
The EF added that over the coming weeks, it will continue working closely with National Team Partners, publishers and other stakeholders to provide clarity on the revised competition calendar, qualification pathways and other implications of the new timeline.
Why it matters: The postponement is a setback for Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to establish itself as a global hub for gaming and esports, a sector the kingdom has made a key part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda.
Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, launched in 2022, aims to create 39,000 jobs by 2030 in areas ranging from game development to event management. The kingdom’s gaming and esports market is projected to generate $13.3 billion by 2030, according to Savvy Games’ 2023 annual report.
The push comes as the global esports industry continues to expand. The esports streaming market alone is projected to grow from $2.29 billion in 2026 to $5.24 billion by 2031, according to a report released Tuesday by Research & Markets. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of Vision 2030, is also known to be an avid gamer.
But the regional conflict is increasingly disrupting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to attract major international events. Since the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have faced intermittent Iranian missile attacks targeting cities and key infrastructure. The conflict has disrupted regional economies, forced the postponement or cancellation of a slew of international events and, particularly earlier in the war, led to thousands of flights being grounded or diverted amid security concerns.
Know more: Several other major events in Saudi Arabia have been postponed, canceled or relocated this year because of regional instability.
The Esports World Cup, originally scheduled to take place in Riyadh in July, was moved to Paris, while the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix, due to be held in the port city of Jeddah in April, was canceled with no new date announced.
The 12th edition of the Saudi Film Festival was also pushed back from its original late April slot to the end of June.
LEAP, one of the world’s largest annual technology events, held in Riyadh, was postponed from April to late August.
On the finance side, the Saudi Capital Markets Forum, due to take place in the capital in April, was pushed back to March 2027.
