Saudi Crown Prince and Macron attend Esports World Cup in Paris

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron attend the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris, France.

PARIS, Aug 24: French President Emmanuel Macron presented the 2026 Esports World Cup trophy to Team Falcons Global in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris.

The champions finished at the top of the overall standings with 5,300 points to secure the $7 million grand prize. The tournament offered a record total prize pool of more than $75 million, the largest in esports history, with the money distributed among participating clubs and players according to their results and rankings.

The seven-week event, held from July 6 to August 23, brought together more than 200 teams and over 2,000 professional players representing 100 countries. Competitors took part in 25 tournaments featuring some of the world’s most popular video games.

The event also achieved record growth across several areas, drawing large crowds and recording a 94% increase in ticket sales for esports competitions.

More than 850 million viewers worldwide watched the action through digital platforms, generating over 440 million hours of viewing time. The tournament was supported by global media coverage produced in 47 languages.