RIYADH: Liverpool and Portugal footballer Diogo Jota, who attended the Esports World Cup in Riyadh on Sunday, has declared the world's biggest gaming festival a “truly amazing experience”.
Jota, an avid gamer and investor in multinational esports organization Galaxy Racer, watched all the action on Boulevard Riyadh City as teams competed in the finals of the “Dota2 Riyadh Masters” and “Counter-Strike 2” tournaments.
The eight-week Esports World Cup features a unique cross-game structure pitting top clubs and players against each other in 22 tournaments across 21 major sports.
Held inside the 8,000-capacity Saudi Esports Federation Arena in the city of Boulevard Riyadh, it runs until August 25 and has the largest tournament prize pool of $60 million in the sport's history.
The attacker, who has 42 caps and played for Portugal at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer, met the participating stars, including Saudi Arabia's Falcons, and happily swapped gaming and esports stories.
Jota said: “Being here at the inaugural Esports World Cup is a truly amazing experience. The organization and scale behind this event is truly impressive, even more than I expected.
“I've always believed in the potential of esports, even before starting my own team, and EWC is proof that the scene is rapidly evolving. This level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what esports needs to grow and reach a wider audience.
“I'm excited to see how EWC continues to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming.”
Jota, who wears the number 20 for Liverpool, was ranked world number 1 on the FIFA 21 Champions Leaderboard. A regular streamer on Twitch, he also won an invitational series of FIFA games run by the Premier League during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolverhampton Wanderers player Jota then beat future Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final.
Last year, Jota's own esports organization, Diogo Jota Esports, was rebranded to Luna Galaxy under the Galaxy Racer umbrella.
Previously, Diogo Jota Esports participated in the FIFA Finals at Gamers8 hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation in Boulevard Riyadh City last summer, with Daniel “DFernandes” Fernandes finishing in the top 16.
More than 1,500 players from over 60 nationalities are battling it out in the inaugural Esports World Cup. The third week of the tournament includes action in the “Dota2 Riyadh Masters,” “Counter Strike 2,” and “PUBG Mobile” tournaments.
