New Global Sport Conference 2025 Concludes with Strategic Announcements and Industry Collaboration

World’s largest esports conference defines The Next Game, uniting gaming, esports and sport on a global stage

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (25 August 2025) – The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today closed the New Global Sport Conference 2025 (NGSC 2025), a two-day forum held during the Closing Weekend of the Esports World Cup. More than 1,500 delegates, including 500 CEOs from gaming, esports, sport, technology and investment, attended the event in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s senior leadership, including four ministers, opened the event with The Kingdom’s Next Era of Play, outlining the country’s vision to position gaming and esports as drivers of future growth. HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports; HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation; H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism; H.E. Eng. Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment; and H.E. Abdullah Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology addressed the audience.

Hans Jagnow, Director, NGSC 2025, said: “NGSC 2025 has solidified its role as the platform where the future of our industries is shaped. Over two days, leaders across gaming, esports, sport, technology and investment came together at a scale never seen before. The launch of the Esports Nations Cup defined how the first global national competition in esports will be structured, while unveiled strategic collaborations showed what can be achieved when the most influential stakeholders align behind a shared vision. The outcomes of this year’s conference will set the direction of our industry and drive the growth and transformation of gaming and esports worldwide.”

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that AlUla, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia, will be recreated as free playable content in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. He described the partnership as an opportunity to share Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage with players worldwide.

The Esports World Cup Foundation introduced the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a new international tournament launching in November 2026 where national esports teams will compete. Executives from Ubisoft, Krafton, Tencent, EA and EWCF discussed how national representation will influence competition and fan engagement. Francois-Xavier Deniele of Ubisoft said: “There is something different with nations – this sentiment of pride that continues to grow around the world.”

The subject of national pride was also addressed in a panel moderated by CBS Sports’ Pete Radovich, featuring EWCF CEO Ralf Reichert, FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Alex Morgan and LA28 Olympic Games Chairman Casey Wasserman. Reichert said: “Players need more opportunity – more great stages, more moments where they can become heroes.” Morgan emphasised an athlete-first approach, while Wasserman noted the importance of inclusive competition structures.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, Sega COO Shuji Utsumi and Roblox VP Enrico D’Angelo analysed intellectual property in IP Strategies Unlocked. EA’s Paul Cairns and EWCF COO, Mike McCabe, discussed the future of interactive communities. Winning as a Habit: World Chess Champion and Esports World Cup 2025 winner Magnus Carlsen, Team Liquid Co-CEO Victor Goossens and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett discussed the links across chess, esports and entrepreneurship, and how esports connects with other forms of competition.

Game creator Hideo Kojima and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn discussed storytelling across cinema and games in Blurring the Lines.

Other sessions examined links between competition and entrepreneurship, the role of AI in football and esports, the future of platforms and fan engagement, diversity in gaming, esports and sports, and shared approaches between traditional sport and esports.

NGSC 2025 also served as a platform for international cooperation. Over the two days, over 250 bilateral meetings took place, and 30 Memorandums of Understanding and strategic agreements were signed, including Esports World Cup Foundation, UNICEF, World Football Summit, Savvy Games Group, and AWS.

This year NGSC also introduced two new formats: The Foundry stage was fully booked for masterclasses on investment and start-up pitches connecting investors with new ventures; the NGSC Studio broadcasted live sessions with speakers and panellists to over 100,000 viewers worldwide.

The New Global Sport Conference will return in 2026 to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.