Aspire Zone, Wega to hold first eSports World Cup in Doha

*Partnership will offer 2.3bn eSports players across the globe the chance to compete for financial prizes

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) in partnership with Wega, a leading global payment solution developed by Truxtun Capital, has announced the first ever eSports World Cup to be held in Doha.

An agreement in this regard was signed on Sunday at a press conference by Abdullah Nasser al-Naemi, director general of Aspire Logistics and Patrick Moynier, president of Truxtun Capital.

With online qualifying rounds running all over the world for the next four years, the first edition of the eSports World Cup will take place in November 2019. The tournament will lead to a live final competition in Doha in 2022 on the threshold of the official FIFA World Cup kickoff.

In addition, Wega and Aspire Zone will organise a 40-day eSports Festival at Aspire Zone for the next four years.The partnership between Wega and Aspire Zone, two major companies in sports and technology, will offer 2.3bn eSports players across the globe the chance to compete for financial prizes.

Al-Naemi said: “We are thrilled to sign this agreement with Wega, the world’s leading e-sports organisation, and to announce the first eSports World Cup in the Middle East: The Aspire WEGA World Cup.

"We are keen to expand sports events to other areas and this is an effort in this regard. We are seeking new concepts and electronic industry promises new areas for sports. We are also planning to launch several other initiatives.

“We are constantly innovating to become the reference in sports excellence worldwide by 2020. The electronic gaming industry is currently one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, with an annual growth rate of 40%. Building on the success of Qatar’s national team during the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, we are now expanding into this exciting new sports entertainment field.”

Patrick Moynier, President of Truxtun Capital said: “We are so proud to launch this outstanding eSports tournament in partnership with Aspire Zone. As a Fintech company providing an innovative digital financial platform, it was a strategic decision to invest in a market expecting 6bn players in the next 10 years. Looking ahead to the next FIFA World Cup, when all eyes will be on Doha, our technology and services will significantly enhance the entire player experience and increase the industry’s revenues.”