Gibraltar has been officially accepted into the European Esports Federation (EEF), a non-profit organisation that aims to create a united vision for esports in Europe.
The territory becomes EEF’s 45th member, joining member associations from countries such as Germany, Denmark and France, among others. Gibraltar will be an observing member until the federation’s next general assembly in December, when a vote will be held to grant Gibraltar full membership.
This is the first time that a sovereign territory has been named an official EEF member, with countries only previously being eligible. According to Esports Gibraltar on LinkedIn, the inclusion could set the precedent for other territories to join.
Over the last 12 months, Gibraltar has made massive strides in esports. Notably the territory officially recognised esports as a sport in January 2023. This led the Gibraltar Esports & Video Gaming Association (Epsorts Gibraltar’s official name) to transition from a Leisure Association into a Sports Association.
Prior to joining the EEF, Gibraltar has competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Esports Championships as well as the 2022 Global Esports Games in Istanbul.
The European Esports Federation was first formed in 2020 with 26 founding members, ranging from national federations to European esports stakeholders. EEF’s goal is to promote esports as a legitimate sport and recreational activity.
The federation recently organised the 2022 European Esports Championships, a €100,000 (~£85,900) prize pool esports competition that featured offline events in CS:GO, Rocket League, eFootball and Dota 2.
Esports Gibraltar’s statement read: “Esports Gibraltar, officially Gibraltar Esports & Video Gaming Association (GEVGA), takes great pride in joining the European esports community and extends gratitude to the EEF for their support during the application process. Gibraltar’s inclusion in the EEF sets a precedent for other sovereign territories to become eligible for membership once the statutes are amended accordingly.”
