Inaugural Olympic Esports Games set for 2027

February 12, 2025 | 10:23am

MANILA, Philippines — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the first-ever Olympic Esports Games will be held in Riyadh in 2027.

“There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC in many areas,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

It was also announced that the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), the organization behind the annual Esports World Cup (EWC), will be a founding partner of the Olympic Esports Games, helping the IOC in "[collaborating] closely with key stakeholders to establish qualification pathways, enhance competitive integrity, and align the national esports ecosystems with broader global standards."

“Today the journey to the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is clear, with an immediate timeline that works for all parties and sees the Road to Olympic Esports Games start in 2025. Together with the IOC there is real momentum, unity and clarity on the way forward, with the focus now on delivering. Already Saudi Arabia is looking forward to welcoming the world and playing its part to help the dreams of so many esports athletes come true. Just as we are seeing across all sports in the Kingdom, there is real growth and new opportunities to grasp as part of an exciting future for all,” said Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, minister of sport and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC).

Announced back in 2024, the IOC had initially partnered with the SOPC for the first three Olympic Esports Games, spanning 12 years, with the first games set to take place in 2025. Though the Games will now take place now in 2027, initial events and qualifiers as well as the Road to Olympic Esports Games are set to begin this year.