The International Esports Federation (IESF) announced on Thursday that it has opened the bidding process for the next two locations of the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers in 2025 and 2026, respectively.Â
The next big event for the federation will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
Cities interested in hosting IESF’s flagship event and regional qualifiers in Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia + Oceania, and Africa, can learn more about the bidding process on the official IESF Events Bidding Process page. Curiously, there doesn’t appear to be a separate bidding process for the Middle East, because the region has been shoehorned into Europe.
The IESF claims to have a total of 144 member federations around the world including 23 in the Americas, 47 in Europe (which includes Middle Eastern countries), three in Oceania, 29 in Africa, and 42 in Asia.
In addition to bidding on the global, year-end championship, cities can bid on regional qualifiers, which lead into regional championships.
“IESF remains open to discussions with any cities, regions, or countries worldwide that are interested in hosting the World Esports Championship or Regional Qualifiers,” the organization said in a release. “We welcome inquiries from all potential hosts to explore the opportunities and benefits of bringing these premier esports events to their locations,” the IESF said, adding later that it evaluates potential host cities based on several criteria, including “how well they align with regional and national development plans, as well as the long-term strategic goals of the IESF vision and mission. The host city is expected to meet all requirements set by IESF.
It has long been rumored that the IESF and its counterpart the Global Esports Federation have been funded by the Saudi government through the Saudi Esports Federation. In fact, Saudi Esports Federation founder Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud (HRH Prince Faisal, for short) is the president of the Saudi Esports Federation, president of the IESF, and VP of the GEF. Sources have been telling The Esports Advocate for months that the ultimate plan is for the GEF and the IESF to eventually merge into one organization.