The Most "Rigged" Esports Tournament Of All Time

But this event isn’t without its controversy. It’s been boycotted by organizations like Moist Esports, games like Geoguessr have pulled out, and many in the West are vocal about Saudi Arabia’s track record of human rights violations and have been quick to label the event as a blatant act of "esportswashing".

But that hasn’t stopped players, organizations, and games from around the world from flying to Riyadh to participate in the event. Whether it’s top players like Niko and M0nesy playing for Team Falcons, organizations like Team Liquid, G2, Luminosity, FaZe, Spacestation, Gamwon, OG, and Team Secret participating, or streamers like Ohnepixel, Caedrel, and Scump restreaming the event, the Esports World Cup was a global phenomenon, and Saudi Arabia now has a claim to being one of the most influential countries in all of esports.

In this video, we talk about some of the controversy surrounding the event: a tournament format that favours the hometown team, the Saudi Esports Federation controlling the stream and profiting from the event, and how the EWC fits into MBS’ Vision 2030 initiative. Will KSA become the next home for esports? Only time will tell.