The first Olympic Esports Games will be hosted in Riyadh in 2027, two years later than expected when a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia was signed last year. The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday its founding partner for the event will be the kingdom’s Esports World Cup Foundation.

The first Olympic Esports Games will be held in two years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday, as part of a 12-year-deal with the country signed last year.

Competitive gaming is finally getting a stage worthy of its global impact: the Esports Olympics will land in Saudi Arabia, albeit two years later

The highly anticipated inaugural Esports Olympics, set to make its grand entrance in 2025 in Saudi Arabia, hit a major roadblock. Combining mounting

The event is part of a 12-year agreement signed last year between the IOC and Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup Foundation, which will serve as the founding partner

The first Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia are facing delays due to the need for a new hosting and financing model.

𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄: The inaugural Olympic Esports Games, originally set to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025, have been delayed. The event is now expected to be held in 2026 or 2027, as organisers require more time to establish a new hosting and financing model. Game… pic.twitter.com/5RgWgucTuu — SportBusiness (@SportBusiness) January 27, 2025