RIYADH: Liverpool and Portugal footballer Diogo Jota, who took part in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh on Sunday, has described the world’s biggest gaming festival as a “truly incredible experience”.
Jota, an avid gamer and investor in multinational esports organization Galaxy Racer, catches all the action at Boulevard Riyadh City as teams compete 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 top games.
The tournament will be held at the Saudi Esports Federation Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City, which can hold 8,000 people, until August 25, and will feature a total prize pool of $60 million, the largest in the history of the sport.
The forward, who has made 42 appearances for Portugal and was part of the Portuguese squad at Euro 2024 this summer, met up with some of the big names taking part, including Saudi Arabia's Falcons, and happily exchanged stories about gaming and esports.
“Participating in this first-ever Esports World Cup was an amazing experience,” Jota said. “The organization and scale of the event was impressive, even more than I expected.”
“I’ve always believed that esports has potential, even before I started my own team, and the EWC is proof that the industry is evolving rapidly. This level of investment and infrastructure is what esports needs to grow and reach a wider audience.
“I’m excited to see how the EWC continues to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming,”
Jota, who wears the No. 20 shirt for Liverpool, is ranked No. 1 in the world in the FIFA 21 Champions League table. He is also a regular Twitch streamer and won the FIFA Invitational Series hosted by the Premier League during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jota, who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, beat future Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final.
Last year, Jota's esports organization, Diogo Jota Esports, changed its name to Luna Galaxy, which is under the name Galaxy Racer.
Previously, Diogo Jota Esports participated in the FIFAe Finals at the Gamers8 event organized by the Saudi Esports Federation at Boulevard Riyadh City last summer, where Daniel “DFernandes” Fernandes finished in the top 16.
More than 1,500 players from over 60 nationalities are battling it out in the first-ever Esports World Cup. The third week of the tournament will feature “Dota2 Riyadh Masters,” “Counter Strike 2,” and “PUBG Mobile.”
