The Esports World Cup Foundation announced Tuesday that Riyadh-based telecommunications company stc Group (Saudi Telecommunication Company) has been announced as an “elite and founding partner” of the Esports World Cup taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, running for eight weeks starting July 3.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
While not emphatically stated in the announcement on social media by the Esports World Cup Foundation, one would assume that stc Group will provide broadband connectivity for the eight-week, multi-discipline esports competition and that its branding will appear throughout venues and during broadcasts.
“I’m proud to welcome stc Group, a telecommunications giant and digital pioneer, as an Elite and Founding Partner of the Esports World Cup,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation. “stc Group is the digital backbone of our competitions and will bring the EWC content to local and global audiences. Through their festival activation, stc will enable fans visiting the EWC to stay connected with the special stc SIM Card. As one of the largest companies in the MENA region, their support means we’re not only going to offer exceptional digital access for fans and athletes but can take the Esports World Cup to the next level.”
The Esports World Cup is a multi-week, multi-discipline esports competition running from July 3 – Aug. 25, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will feature a total prize pool of $60M USD spread across multiple games including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Rennsport, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.
Last week the Esports World Cup Foundation announced partnerships with Adidas, Nestlé’s chocolate brand KitKat, and esports data firm Bayes Esports.
The Esports World Cup is funded by a grant from the Saudi Arabian government, while competitions are being facilitated by ESL FACEIT Group, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group. Savvy is owned by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund and its Chairman of the board is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler HRH Crown Prince MBS. EFG is home to tournament organizer ESL, Esports Engine, competition platform FACEIT, and esports and gaming festival company DreamHack.