Mastercard Partners With the Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup Foundation has secured a regional partnership with Mastercard for the inaugural Esports World Cup, a multi-week, multi-discipline tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024. This collaboration is specifically facilitated through Mastercard’s regional division for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative to bolster the local gaming and esports ecosystem. While the financial terms of the agreement remain undisclosed, the partnership serves to integrate Mastercard’s payment infrastructure into the event experience.

The partnership focuses on enhancing attendee engagement through several on-site and digital initiatives. Mastercard will provide seamless digital payment solutions and host an on-site booth at the Esports Arena, featuring meet-and-greets with prominent gaming personalities. Additionally, the company will facilitate fan-facing activations, including weekly tournaments and team-based challenges within its proprietary game, Gen Blend.

This deal adds to a diverse roster of corporate sponsors supporting the Esports World Cup, including major brands such as Adidas, Pepsi, TikTok, and Unilever, alongside government-affiliated entities like the stc Group and Aramco. The tournament itself features a substantial $60 million USD prize pool across a wide array of competitive titles, ranging from tactical shooters like Counter-Strike 2 to mobile titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The event is funded by the Saudi Arabian government and managed by the ESL FACEIT Group, a subsidiary of the Savvy Games Group, which is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.