While widely reported in sports media publications when it happened in July, esports fans may have missed the news that the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the Qatar government, bought a minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Prior to the announcement, it was reported that the QIA was looking to obtain a “small stake” valued at $4B USD in the company, though those details were not confirmed or disclosed when the deal was announced.
In case you don’t know, MSE is the co-owner of aXiomatic Gaming which has a controlling interest in Team Liquid. It also owns NBA 2K League teams Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming.
MSE, founded by Ted Leonsis, owns NHL team the Washington Capitals, NBA team the Washington Wizards, WNBA team the Washington Mystics, NBA G League team Capital City Go-Go, and Capital One Arena, and manages MedStar Capitals Iceplex, EagleBank Arena, and the MedStar Health Performance Center.
Earlier this week MSE announced the rebranding and launch of Monumental Sports Network for the 2023-2024 sports season, Built upon its acquisition of NBC Sports Washington in 2022, the linear TV network serves sports fans in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.