A record 130 member federations have registered for the National Qualifiers of the World Esports Championship 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the International Esports Federation has announced.
A total of 609 teams will compete across five game titles representing their countries. The National Qualifiers are underway as of January 16.
“We are amazed but not surprised by the number of registered members federations for the National Qualifiers this year,” said IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski. “It only shows the growth of the organization, the progress made by the federations and the esports ecosystem. Starting with the qualifiers, it is our goal to ensure the best conditions and allow the players to represent their countries in the best way possible. We hope that with more players and teams this year the competition will reach its full potential and be the largest international esports event ever.”
The IESF underwent a leadership change in October 2023 with Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud as its new acting interim president after Vlad Marinescu’s decision to step down from the position. One of the new president’s first actions was a collaboration with the Global Esports Federation to drive advancement and deliver new opportunities across the esports landscape.
The National Qualifiers officially start the road to WEC24 and determine which teams will represent their countries in the regional qualifiers, set to begin in June.