‘Esports to become one of the world’s leading sports within a decade,’ says EF CPO Bin Homran

RIYADH: At one point, the viability of esports as a global industry was still being questioned. Yet competitions such as Gamers8 and the Esports World Cup have helped reshape the landscape, providing new building blocks for a sector once seen as difficult to scale.

Going beyond just competitions, however, Saudi Arabia launched an initiative that continues to expand in its support of the sport’s biggest clubs. The EF Club Partner Program, an industry-leading $20 million initiative, currently supports 40 premier esports clubs from around the world, an expansion on what started as a 20-club program.

More than $100 million has been distributed directly to clubs across the program and the EWC over the past three years, with more expected to come as the 2026 EWC purse rises to $75 million, a 20 percent increase from the purse in the debut edition in 2024.

The initiative continues to highlight Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role in the growth of the sport. EF Chief Product Officer Faisal bin Homran discussed the ongoing success of the Club Partner Program.

“Initiatives like the Club Partner Program allow us to create sustainability for the sport in the long run,” he said.

“The long-term vision of the program is to expand its global reach while strengthening the commercial sustainability of esports clubs.

“It also seeks to deepen collaboration between clubs and the Esports World Cup through dedicated content initiatives, while establishing the program as a central pillar for organizations participating in the esports ecosystem.”

While the top eight clubs from the EWC Club Championship standings received direct invitations, competitive results are not the only factor for clubs considered for the Club Partner Program.

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