IESF Receives Record Number of Bids for 2025 and 2026 Events

The International Esports Federation has announced the conclusion of the bidding process for hosting the 2025 and 2026 IESF Events — the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers.

The organization received a record number of applications, with over 30 cities from across six continents submitting bids. The IESF is reviewing the applications to determine which cities meet the criteria and requirements and align with its mission of developing esports in a sustainable and inclusive way.

“Over the last five years, IESF events have grown rapidly and so has the excitement around hosting one of the world’s biggest esports events,” said Boban Totovski, general secretary of IESF. “IESF events are truly one-of-a-kind and bring huge value to our host nations – or as we like to call them, the ‘Esports capital of the world.’ It’s amazing to see this growing interest and we can’t wait to continue bringing the global esports community together through these incredible events.”

IESF added the increased interest in hosting events reflects the expansion of the esports community and the impact the tournaments have had on the international esports scene. The 2024 championships were in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.