Saudi Esports Federation launches SEF Arena

The Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) has officially announced the launch of the SEF Arena, located in Boulevard Riyadh City.

With a total size of 25,000 sqm, the arena will serve as a flexible multi-activity zone for sporting, entertainment and other events.

The venue’s opening was unveiled in the presence of Saudi Esports Federation CEO Turki Alfawzan, Chief Strategy Officer Maha Aloufi, and Esports Executive Director Meshal Alqabbani.

According to a LinkedIn post by the SEF, the arena will have flexible 11,000 sqm esports stages, a broadcast studio for live event coverage, and the SEF Academy, a dedicated section for developing young talents.

Additionally, the SEF arena will be used by the domestic competitive leagues, such as the Saudi eLeague Elites, Women’s League, Fighting League and Challenger League.

Within the venue, the SEF has also opened its Legacy Museum, which highlights the federation’s role in the global gaming and esports industry since its inception in 2017. The museum is open daily from 6 pm until Boulevard Riyadh City’s closing time and can be freely visited.

Driven by Vision 2030, the governmental programme to increase its diversification economically by generating new, non-oil-dependent revenues, Saudi Arabia has been looking to establish itself as an international hub and become a tourist destination across several industries, including gaming and esports.

Aside from investments made in companies such as ESL FACEIT Group and Hero Esports, Saudi Arabia is the hosting country of the Esports World Cup, which recently announced a $70m prize pool for the 2025 edition.

Earlier last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) partnered up with Saudi Arabia’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the first-ever Olympic Esports Games. Set to take place in 2025 initially, the event was later moved to 2027 due to ongoing concerns about the format and a lack of details on key aspects of the programme by game publishers.

Despite its efforts in the industry, the Saudi Arabian government has often been criticised due to the country’s human rights record on women and LGBTQ+ communities, alongside claims of ‘esportswashing‘.