Cristiano Ronaldo, the renowned Portuguese football star currently playing for Saudi club Al-Nasr, expressed his delight at meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman once again.
During a panel discussion, Ronaldo had the honor of joining the Crown Prince as they discussed the future of eSports and the upcoming inaugural eSports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo's excitement was evident in a tweet he shared on his X account, stating, "It's an honor to meet Prince Mohammed bin Salman again, and it's great to be a part of the panel today where he talks about the future of eSports and next year's first eSports World in Saudi Arabia." The Saudi Football Club's official X account retweeted his message.
This announcement followed the Saudi Crown Prince's recent declaration about the commencement of the E-Sports World Cup scheduled for the summer of 2024 in Riyadh. This event is poised to become the largest of its kind globally, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's status as a prominent hub for eSports, with substantial support from the gaming and eSports industry.
The launch of the eSports World Cup aligns with the objectives outlined in Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and eSports Strategy. This strategy aims to significantly boost the sector's contribution to the Kingdom's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by more than 50 billion Saudi Riyals and generate over 39,000 employment opportunities.
