The Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), through its Chairman HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, has held bilateral talks with representatives of the Austrian government to expand international cooperation across esports, digital infrastructure, and technology education.
Prince Faisal met with Alexander Pröll, Austrian State Secretary at the Federal Chancellery for Digitalisation, Constitutional Affairs and Civil Service, to outline shared commercial and developmental opportunities.
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According to a post by SEF on LinkedIn, the discussion centred on aligning Saudi Arabia’s national esports strategy with European digital initiatives, focusing on joint talent development, professional training programmes, and knowledge exchange between the two nations’ technology sectors.
Additionally, both parties explored framework opportunities to facilitate the participation of Austrian technology and gaming companies in esports tournaments and commercial activations hosted within the Kingdom.
The meeting reflects Saudi Arabia’s ongoing use of competitive gaming as a driver for international diplomacy and economic diversification under its broader Vision 2030 objectives. The Kingdom has increasingly leveraged its esports ecosystem to establish cross-border government-to-government (B2G) ties, highlighted by a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the French Ministry of Sports by the Saudi-backed Esports Foundation, following the relocation of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 to Paris.
Originally planned for Riyadh, moving the Esports Foundation’s flagship event to the French capital represented a major strategic move supported directly by the French government, serving as a last-minute adjustment prompted by geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East.
This international outreach is further illustrated by high-profile engagements at home, such as the Prince of Wales‘ visit in February this year to the SEF Arena. During a three-day official tour, Prince William toured the SEF Academy and competed in a ceremonial Rocket League match against HRH Prince Faisal.
