The Afro-Arab Esports League, a new esports competition for Africa and the Middle East, has been unveiled at the Gamers8 Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The league will see 25 member nations from the two regions compete in various games during the Gamers8 esports event and beyond.
Being a part of the Gamers8 festival, the first tournaments in VALORANT and eFootball PES will take place this August in Riyadh. More tournaments will be announced soon, meaning that the league will continue after Gamers8. The organisers did not share many details about the tournament format, but noted that tournaments will take place at the Challenge Zone within Boulevard Riyadh City at Gamers8.
A total of 25 countries will be featured in the league, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Libya, among others. Along with men’s tournaments in VALORANT and eFootball, the league will also host women-only tournaments in parallel.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation and Chairman of the Arab Esports Federation, commented: “The Afro-Arab Esports League is a testament to the growing importance of esports in both the African and Arab worlds and a key way to create space for cultural exchange and cooperation among the 25 participating countries.
“Together, we herald a future where unity knows no bounds, where the thrill of competition unites us, and where the passion for gaming brings nations together.”
The inaugural tournaments in the two games will take place during Gamers8, one of the world’s largest esports events that is taking place throughout the summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The event has the highest overall prize pool in esports history and features high-profile tournaments in Dota 2, simulation racing, fighting games, CS:GO, Rocket League and other esports games. Alongside competitive esports, the festival features an expo area and an esports business conference called the Next World Forum.
