Saudi Arabia-backed gaming and esports company Savvy Games Group has been named an official tournament supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as part of the partnership deal between its parent company Public Investment Fund (PIF) and FIFA.
The announcement was made jointly by FIFA and PIF. As part of this deal, PIF will include some of its companies in tournament activities, including Savvy Games Group and Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia’s future entertainment, sports and culture project. These groups are expected to create fan activities and new ways for football fans around the world to take part during the tournament.
The deal matches Saudi Arabia’s larger plans in football before hosting the FIFA World Cup 2034. According to the announcement, the partnership will include training and knowledge-sharing programmes to support Saudi youth and help football grow in the long term.
Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer at FIFA, said, “We are delighted to have PIF as a Tournament Supporter of this year’s game-changing FIFA World Cup. Together, we look forward to delivering a historic tournament that inspires and unites fans from around the world. The partnership with PIF will help grow our sport across the globe through unlocking new opportunities, fostering innovation and engaging youth, ensuring that millions of young people have the chance to play football and enjoy its many benefits.”
Mohamed AlSayyad, Head of Corporate Brand at PIF, said, “PIF continues to expand its global footprint in sport, with football at the heart of this growth. This partnership builds on our existing FIFA relationship from last year’s FIFA Club World Cup – and our work with Concacaf – to deliver a positive and lasting impact. PIF continues to accelerate the growth of football globally by expanding access to the game and creating opportunities that benefit players, fans and the wider football ecosystem.”
For Savvy Games Group, this new partnership is another sign that the company wants to go beyond just esports and gaming and become a bigger player in sports entertainment overall. It has already been spending heavily on gaming investments, most notably through its $6 billion acquisition of MLBB publisher MOONTON Games from ByteDance. Earlier in February 2026, Saudi Arabia’s PIF also moved its entire Take-Two Interactive stake to Savvy Games Group to keep all of its gaming investments in one place.
However, this isn’t the first major deal between Saudi Arabia and FIFA. In 2025, FIFA announced that the FIFAe Finals would remain in Saudi Arabia for 2025 and 2026 through an extended partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF). The growth was pretty clear too, with last year’s FIFAe event drawing over 90 Member Associations across three official titles, compared to 84 nations back in 2022.
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