News

Saudi Arabia Launches Summer 2024 eSports World Cup

Football megastar Ronaldo was in attendance, and was honored to meet His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Published

6 months ago

October 24, 2023

saudi arabia launches summer 2024 esports world cup

On Monday, October 23, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia announced the launch of the eSports World Cup. The event will be held annually from Summer 2024 in the Kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.

The eSports World Cup is the largest of its kind and will help to consolidate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s position as an international pro gaming hub. The event will include games across a wide range of genres, with players competing for the largest pool of prize money ever to be issued at this type of event.

According to Arab News, the newly announced World Cup should boost the Saudi Arabian GDP by over 13 billion USD while creating nearly 40,000 new jobs.

saudi arabia esports world cup ronaldo

During the launch, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who was invited to the event. The star shared several images on social media and said he was honored to meet the Crown Prince.

The eSports World Cup launch also allowed Saudi Arabian officials to announce the establishment of the eSports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit organization to boost sustainability and cement the Kingdom’s place as a global gaming hub.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Video Games Set In The Middle East

The Saudi government is currently going to great lengths to promote the growth of the local gaming industry through its National Gaming and Esports Strategy.

Saudi Arabia is already home to the MENA’s leading gaming industry. The country has around 21 million gamers (nearly 58% of the population) and is the 19th biggest gaming market in the world, with a projected value of $2.6 billion by 2027 — a growth rate of 7.5% per year.

News

Dubai Gives Go Ahead For $35 Billion Al Maktoum Airport Expansion

The project will include a new passenger terminal, helping the emirate achieve its goal of operating the world’s largest airport by 2050.

Published

56 mins ago

April 29, 2024

Nour Nasir

dubai gives go ahead for $35 billion al maktoum airport expansion

Dubai Media Office

On Sunday, April 28th, Dubai’s HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum gave the go-ahead to a major expansion project for Al Maktoum Airport (DWC).

The development will add a new passenger terminal to DWC, marking a major step in the emirate’s goal to transform the global transport hub into the world’s largest airport by 2050.

The construction project is valued at a massive $34.8 billion (AED128 billion), and is necessary to accommodate the projected surge in air travel over the coming years.

The DWC expansion plans were reportedly shelved in 2019. However, the project regained traction under the airport operating company Dubai Airports, who manage both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and DWC.

dubai al maktoum airport expansion

“HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum reviewed the strategic plan of the #Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and approved designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be the largest in the world when fully operational,” announced the Dubai government on X, noting that the new terminal will increase annual capacity to over 260 million passengers.

Under the comprehensive development plans, Al Maktoum Airport will surpass the scale of Dubai International Airport by fivefold. Eventually, all of Dubai International’s operations will be moved to the new site.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi Developer To Build World’s First Healthy Living Island

Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffiths has emphasized the need for a new facility as DXB airport approaches its maximum annual capacity of 120 million passengers, explaining that the new development will transform airport operations.

“We are not planning an airport that has terminals. We’re going to completely change the business model for airports, make them far more intimate, and get rid of all the legacy processes that we’ve had to subject our customers to for far too long,” Griffiths stated.