Riot Games Rumored to Send League of Legends Teams to the Saudi Arabia-Supported Esports World Cup
Riot Games may be finally ready to join the Esports World Cup – and they’ll be doing it on Saudi Arabian soil. According to a report by Jacob Wolf, Riot Games is reportedly planning to allow two teams from each of its top leagues – the LEC, LCS, LPL, and LCK – to compete in the Esports World Cup, which was proposed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in October of 2023.
Riot’s League of Legends Head of Global Strategy, Chris Greeley, apparently asked each league to “stop any activities planned during the first week of July” in order to make way for the Esports World Cup. If Riot goes through with this, it would be the first international tournament featuring their league’s teams in years.
The 2023 Gamers8 Tournament – Robot Takes Over
The Esports World Cup would be a fairly major departure from Riot’s position within the gaming and esports space. Until now, they haven’t been involved with any activities related to Saudi Arabia, with the exception of the brief LEC partnership with NEOM in 2020, which was quickly ended after broadcast talent for the league spoke out against it.
The Gamers8 tournament, held in 2023, was a major success and was host to many of the biggest esports organizations. It featured games like CS:GO, Fortnite, and DOTA 2 – skeptical of League of Legends’ potential success in an otherworldly setting, Riot chose to focus on its popular titles, Valorant and the like, leaving LoL out of the picture.
Saudis’ Ambitious Sportswashing Strategies
The Esports World Cup is part of a larger plan for Saudi Arabian-backed Public Investment Fund’s Savvy Gaming Group, which has acquired ESL, FACEIT, and Vindex back in 2023 in order to promote esports worldwide. According to The Guardian, the PIF’s investing in esports alongside its investments in traditional sports and entertainment, as they aim to further their influence on digital spaces and its endless potential.
It remains to be seen whether Riot Games will go on and join this Esports World Cup or if they’ll opt for a different tournament or league altogether. As of now, they have yet to give any remarks to the report.
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