The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced this week a new fantasy sports game for the Esports World Cup operated by London-based sports technology company Genius Sports.
Financial terms of that partnership have not been publicly disclosed.
This portal, dubbed the “Esports World Cup Fantasy League,” allows fans to pick their favorite top eight teams in each of the titles that will be played during the Esports World Cup, which takes place from July 7 – Aug. 24, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. EWCF is putting forward around $200,000 USD in prize money to support the platform. Prizes will be distributed based on leaderboard standings. More details about the fantasy esports platform can be found at fantasy.esportsworldcup.com.
It should be noted that, while the portal is live, its terms & conditions are marked as “coming soon” as of this writing, which is important to note before you turn over your personal information without knowing what you agree to.
Based in London and founded in 2001 Genius Sports began its life as a “betting data specialist,” later broadening into sports technology. The company uses its sports data technology to serve a variety of customers including sports leagues, sports books, brands, content creators, consumers, and more.
The EWCF announced earlier this week the first details of the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC2025), which takes place Aug. 23 – 24, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In addition it also announced Friday a promotion with Sony related to TEKKEN 8, and earlier in the week a renewal of its partnership with gaming chair maker Secretlab.
In case you are not familiar with the Esports World Cup, it is an eight-week, multi-title event, held on an annual basis during the summer (from early July to late August) managed by the Esports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit funded (it claims) by a sports grant from the Saudi government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. The event is operated by ESL FACEIT Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi government-owned gaming and esports company Savvy Games Group.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government such as Esports World Cup are criticized for helping the government engage in “sports washing,” or using various forms of entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGTBQ+ rights, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.