Mohammed Al Nimer on how the Esports World Cup has evolved from a gaming tournament into a cultural platform
With 285,000 tickets sold and 22 global sponsors in 2025, the Esports World Cup is positioning itself alongside the Olympics and FIFA World Cup but its real power lies in its ability to turn sponsors from advertisers into participants in a community that brands can no longer reach through traditional channels
03 July, 2026
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The Esports World Cup (EWC) sold 285,000 tickets, produced 7,000 hours of live content and attracted 22 global sponsors in 2025, figures that position it firmly alongside traditional sports’ biggest properties. But what separates EWC from the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics or the NFL is not just scale; it is the nature of engagement. Gaming is not a media channel for younger audiences; it is where they live. They watch while chatting, follow creators, remix content, support clubs and expect brands to add value rather than interrupt.
As sponsorship dollars flood esports and brands demand measurable returns beyond impressions, Mohammed Al Nimer, chief commercial officer of the Esports Foundation, explains how EWC has evolved from a gaming tournament into a cultural platform where participation matters more than visibility, and why that shift is redefining what sponsorship means for the next generation.
The Esports World Cup has rapidly evolved into one of the largest events in competitive gaming. How are you positioning EWC as a global sponsorship property alongside established platforms such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics and the NFL?
The FIFA World Cup, the Olympics and the NFL have become global sponsorship platforms because they combine elite competition, global reach, cultural relevance and powerful storytelling. That is the level of ambition we have for the Esports World Cup, while also recognizing that esports brings something different to the table.
The numbers already show the momentum. In 2025, EWC produced more than 7,000 hours of live content across a seven-week calendar, attracted 97 broadcast partners and 22 global sponsors, sold more than 285,000 tickets and 24,000 merchandise units, and delivered the largest prize pool in esports history. That scale gives brands a credible global platform, but what makes EWC unique is the depth of engagement around gaming communities.
EWC is not just a tournament. It brings together the best players, leading clubs, major game titles, publishers, creators, fans and brands into one integrated ecosystem. For partners, that means they are not only buying visibility around a major event. They are entering the culture of gaming and esports in a way that is global, digital-first and deeply interactive.
We are also seeing EWC extend beyond gaming into wider sport, entertainment and culture. The involvement of Cristiano Ronaldo as a global ambassador, alongside appearances from figures such as Lando Norris, Gerard Piqué, Ronaldo Nazário, Kaká, Alisha Lehmann and Nick Kyrgios, shows that EWC is becoming a cultural platform with relevance far beyond the core esports audience.
For sponsors, that creates a very powerful proposition. We can build partnerships across the full fan journey: in-game, online, on broadcast, through creators, through clubs, through live experiences and across the host city. That is where we believe EWC can sit alongside the biggest global sports platforms: as the leading sponsorship property for the next generation of sport, entertainment and fandom.
Brands are increasingly looking to engage younger, digitally native audiences. What makes the Esports World Cup a uniquely effective platform for reaching these consumers compared with traditional sports and entertainment channels?
The difference is that gaming is not only a media channel for younger audiences; it is part of their daily life. It is where they spend time with friends, follow talent, express identity, discover culture and participate in communities. That makes esports fundamentally different from many traditional sponsorship environments.
Younger fans are not passive audiences. They watch while chatting, they follow creators alongside official broadcasts, they move between platforms, they remix content, they support clubs, they play the same titles they watch, and they expect brands to add something meaningful to the experience. For sponsors, that creates a much more active relationship with the consumer.
This is where the Esports World Cup is very powerful. It gives brands access to the full behavior of the gaming audience, not just the viewing moment. A partner can engage fans before, during and after competition through content, creators, clubs, live experiences, digital activations, rewards, products and community moments. The opportunity is not simply to be seen; it is to become part of how fans experience the event.
That is also why authenticity matters so much. Younger consumers are very quick to reject brands that feel like outsiders. But when a brand contributes to the fan journey, improves the experience, supports the players or clubs, or creates something fans actually want to engage with, the connection becomes much stronger.
For us, that is the real advantage of EWC. It gives brands a way to move from advertising to participation, and from audience reach to community relevance. That is what makes it uniquely effective for younger, digitally native consumers.
We’ve seen major international brands invest heavily in esports partnerships in recent years. What are sponsors looking for today, and how has the value proposition of esports sponsorship evolved?
What sets esports apart is how closely fans, players, teams and the games themselves are connected to one another. Sponsors are increasingly looking to become part of that ecosystem in ways that feel authentic and add real value, which is vital to getting fans to buy in.
The value sponsors place on esports has also shifted considerably. It offers year-round storytelling, international reach, and direct access to digitally native audiences who are often hard to reach. Programs like Road to EWC are a good example of this, building out the tournament’s narrative well before and beyond the event itself, so fans stay engaged throughout the year rather than just during a short window. That sustained presence is what sponsors are really after now: the chance to build lasting relationships with audiences, rather than a single, short-lived activation.
Can you share examples of standout brand activations from previous editions of the Esports World Cup and the key lessons they offer for marketers looking to build authentic engagement with gaming communities?
Across the last two editions of the Esports World Cup, the standout activations gave fans something to actually do, not just something to see.
Qiddiya and stc were among the first brands to embrace the National Gaming & Esports Strategy, joining the Esports World Cup as founding partners from the outset.
Qiddiya has been responsible for the player’s lounge at EWC, giving the world’s best gamers a private space to prepare for matches and decompress after leaving the stage. Aramco built one of the most popular on-site locations at the event with its Sim Arena, hosting the biggest sim racing competitions at EWC and giving fans the chance to race against the sport’s actual stars.
The Esports Embassy has been positioned as a new hospitality and engagement platform for partners. What gap in the market does it address, and how does it change the way brands interact with fans, creators and industry stakeholders during the event?
The Esports Embassy addresses a gap that has existed in esports for a long time: the industry has incredible energy, audience scale and cultural relevance, but it has not always had a premium, structured environment where brands, executives, creators, clubs, publishers and partners can come together during the event.
In traditional sport, hospitality is a major part of the partnership model. It is where relationships are built, deals are discussed, senior stakeholders are hosted and brands create memorable experiences around the competition. Esports has not always had an equivalent platform at the same level of sophistication. The Esports Embassy is designed to fill that space.
What makes it powerful is that it is not just hospitality in the traditional sense. It is a business and engagement platform. It gives partners a place to host clients, engage senior decision-makers, meet industry leaders, connect with creators and talent, and bring their brand into the cultural environment of EWC in a more curated way.
It also changes the way brands interact with the ecosystem. Instead of only activating on the show floor or appearing on broadcast, partners can create more intimate and high-value moments: private briefings, creator sessions, executive meetings, product showcases, networking events, content opportunities and VIP fan experiences. That creates a different kind of value, especially for brands that want to build relationships as well as visibility.
For us, the Esports Embassy is part of the broader evolution of EWC as a global sponsorship property. It gives partners a premium front door into gaming and esports, while still staying connected to the energy of the event, the fans, the clubs and the competition. It helps turn EWC from an event people attend into a platform where business, culture and community come together.
How do you see the commercial ecosystem around esports evolving over the next five years. Also as investment in esports grows, brands are increasingly scrutinising return on investment. What metrics and outcomes are sponsors prioritising today, and how does EWC demonstrate measurable commercial value beyond audience reach and impressions?
Over the next five years, the commercial ecosystem around esports will continue to mature from a reach-driven model into a performance- and value-based investment environment. As investment grows, brands are focusing on outcomes beyond just impressions. They are prioritising deeper engagement, community impact, content performance and long-term brand affinity.
At the same time, expectations around sponsorship are shifting. Brands are no longer looking to sit alongside the experience as passive sponsors, but they want to be part of it. The most successful partnerships are integrated into the ecosystem itself. This can mean enabling infrastructure, enhancing fan experiences, supporting competitive environments, or creating meaningful touchpoints across the event journey.
EWC brings together competition, creators, publishers, and brands within a single connected platform. This allows partners to engage audiences across all layers of the ecosystem, actively engaging with the community rather than simply placing their name on a board.
The Esports World Cup is, in my eyes, a leading example of how esports partnerships are evolving into integrated, value-generating collaborations.
