British Esports, the esports federation for the United Kingdom, has announced a multi-year partnership with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a company that provides software and services for travel, expenses, and meetings and events.
Under the agreement, Amex GBT becomes the official Travel & Events Sponsor of British Esports. In practical terms, this makes the company a key commercial partner for managing travel, along with travel agency and event agency services, within the federation’s ecosystem. The deal runs for an initial three years, with the option to extend it from June 1, 2029.
The two organisations will also work together to create travel offers and packages for esports players and teams, as well as for the people and businesses that support them. British Esports will also explore other ideas with Amex GBT, including possible academy programmes, new event concepts, and intellectual property, and the two will collaborate on launching esports travel services.
The partnership comes as demand for travel services in esports continues to grow. Great Britain and other nations send players to tournaments around the world, such as the Esports Nations Cup, while teams can also travel to British Esports’ venues and facilities in Sunderland, including the National Esports Performance Campus. British Esports said that the objective of this partnership is to make it easier for teams, players, and businesses to access the events and venues that support esports in Britain.
Chester King, British Esports President, said, “We’re excited to be partnering with a leading name in business travel to strengthen our approach to travel and events together. This partnership is particularly exciting because it gives us the chance to build better travel and event experiences for our players and partners.
Gerardo Tejado Donde, Senior VP, Professional Services, Amex GBT, said, “Esports is an exciting, vibrant sporting sector that brings together teams, players and brands at fantastic events for their growing community. Partnering with British Esports means we can work alongside the people who know esports best and use those insights to build bespoke travel and event experiences around how this community moves, from tournament weekends to industry gatherings.”
This is not American Express’s first involvement in the esports industry. In 2013, the company partnered with Riot Games as an official sponsor of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and the Season 3 World Championship, which was a significant early move into esports. In 2023, it sponsored the competitive Fortnite “Race to Wimbledon” activation alongside the All England Club.
The announcement follows other recent moves by British Esports. The organisation partnered with UK-based company Cellular Fitness, which is now its official partner for cellular fitness, hydration, and recovery. It also launched EGAMES DUBAI27, a global scholastic competitive gaming initiative created in partnership with the education investment firm Varkey Group.
