Saudi Arabia’s stc Group Showcases Global Impact of Esports World Cup 2026 Partnership

Saudi Arabia’s stc group has highlighted the impact of its partnership with the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), where it served as an official Founding and Elite Partner as the tournament expanded beyond Saudi Arabia for the first time.

The 2026 edition concluded with its grand final at the iconic Accor Arena in Paris, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

EWC Expands to a Global Stage

This year’s tournament marked the largest edition in EWC history, bringing together more than 2,000 professional players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries.

Competitors participated across 25 tournaments and 24 game titles, with the event offering a prize pool valued at more than $75 million.

The tournament’s move from Riyadh to Paris highlighted its growing international profile, with strong audience demand leading organisers to move Championship Sunday to the Accor Arena, Paris’s largest indoor venue.

stc Takes Centre Stage in Paris

As part of its partnership, stc group held the naming rights to three venues across the EWC footprint in Paris.

These included the stc Arena, which hosted competitions across titles including VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, EA FC 26, Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

The partnership also covered the stc Player’s Lounge and stc Contenders, placing the telecommunications group across both the competitive and broader fan experience.

Supporting Grassroots Esports

Beyond the professional tournaments, stc group organised and operated the Warriors Cup, featuring more than 200 tournaments across 16 game titles.

The initiative targeted more than 10,000 players over seven weeks, providing amateur gamers and fans with a competitive pathway alongside the global esports event.

Thousands of young players participated in the tournaments, reflecting stc’s focus on supporting the development of esports talent from the grassroots level.

stc tv Expands EWC Coverage

The stc tv EWC channel, launched on July 5, delivered between 10 and 12 hours of daily coverage, including live tournament action, highlights, analysis and exclusive programming.

Between its launch and August 23, the channel generated more than 3 million plays, with set-top boxes accounting for the majority of viewing activity.

Partnership Built Over Three Editions

stc group has supported the Esports World Cup since its inaugural edition in Riyadh in 2024, when it joined as a Founding and Elite Partner.

During the 2024 tournament, stc supported connectivity across competition venues, serving more than 10,000 players and achieving 99.9% network availability. The company also established branded spaces including the stc Arena, stc play Gaming Hall and stc tv World Cup Studios.

The inaugural edition reached more than 500 million viewers, with peak viewership of 3.5 million, becoming the most watched global esports event of that year.

The 2025 edition expanded further, attracting more than 2,000 professional players and 7 million on-site visitors, alongside a record $70 million prize pool.

stc increased network coverage by more than 20% compared with 2024, deploying 14 dedicated internet circuits with a combined capacity of 34 Gbps, supported by 30 mobile sites and connectivity speeds consistently exceeding 2 Gbps.

Long-Term Commitment to Gaming

stc group has also been recognised by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission with the Platinum Gaming Operator Award for ten consecutive award cycles, reflecting its sustained investment in gaming in Saudi Arabia.

With three years as a Founding and Elite Partner of the Esports World Cup, stc’s involvement has evolved alongside the tournament from supporting its inaugural Riyadh edition to participating in its first international edition in Paris.

The partnership underscores stc group’s continued commitment to esports, gaming infrastructure and the development of the next generation of players and fans, as Saudi Arabia’s esports ecosystem increasingly connects with a global audience.