Bruce Dias 
Even though FIFA eSports is popular around the world, there’s one particular region that’s experiencing significant growth in the popularity of this discipline. We’re talking about the Middle East, which has already become a vibrant hub for FIFA eSports, and which seems to have even bigger ambitions for the future.
There are already many eSports athletes from the Middle East who’ve achieved significant success in global FIFA competitions, including Saudi Arabia’s Aldossary “MSdossary7” Mossad and Ahmad “AboMakkah” Mujahid.
These guys are still in their prime, so it’s only logical to expect even more from them in the years to come. But that’s not all, with the help of local governments, promising FIFA players will get the support – both financial and technical – to reach their full potential. That’s why it’s not crazy to think that the Middle East is going to become the No. 1 spot for this eSports discipline.
Biggest FIFA eSports Stars in the Middle East
FIFA is not even in the top 10 most profitable eSports, but Saudi gamers don’t seem to mind. For the eSports athletes from the Kingdom, FIFA is the No. 1 preferred choice, and some of them have already achieved a lot on the global stage. Some of the most successful KSA eSports players competing in FIFA include the following:
· Aldossary “MSdossary7” Mossad – Despite being only 24, MSdossary7 has already achieved a lot in his career as a professional eSports player. In fact, he’s the most successful eSports athlete from Saudi Arabia with career earnings of more than half a billion US dollars. He focuses on sports simulation games, particularly FIFA.
· Ahmad “AboMakkah” Mujahid – A year younger than MSdossary7, AboMakkah still hasn’t earned as much money as his compatriot, but he’s shown how talented he is in several FIFA tournaments. Last year, for example, he did very well in the FIFAe World Cup, which recommended him to Team Falcons, a Saudi eSports organization where MSdossary7 is the top star.
With MSdossary7 and AboMakkah on the roster, Team Falcons is arguably the best FIFA eSports team in the Middle East. Its main competitor is an organization called Twisted Minds, whose biggest star is Mohammed “AboFawzi” Fawzi. There’s also OWL Esports in Saudi Arabia, as well as a few organizations affiliated with soccer clubs from the Saudi Pro League, namely, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Ettifaq FC.
Outside Saudi Arabia, FIFA eSports powerhouses include NASR eSports from the UAE, FUT Esports from Turkey, and RA’AD from Egypt.
Factors Fueling Middle East’s FIFA eSports Craze
There are nearly half a billion people in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), with a high percentage of those being millennials or Gen-Z. The reason this is important is that those two generations lead the way it comes to modern tech. This is why it’s no surprise that the number of gamers is huge in this part of the planet.
Most of them, however, consider video games a hobby, although in some countries, there’s a significant number of them who play video games professionally. This goes especially for rich Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It’s the latter that’s taken eSports very seriously, so it’s fair to assume that we’re going to see a huge rise in the number of Saudi Arabian pro gamers in the next couple of years.
The thing is that the Saudi Government has approved a $34.11 billion project that would create a gaming district in the city of Qiddiya, constructing 60,000 buildings exclusively for eSports athletes and eGaming businesses.
What’s Next for FIFA eSports in the Middle East?
Saudi Arabia’s eSports project is guaranteed to do raise interest in eSports in the region, with FIFA probably getting the most traction. The reason behind this is that this game is already popular in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries for reasons that have nothing to do with eSports.
What we’re talking about is the success of the Saudi Professional League, which has turned into one of the most competitive soccer competitions outside Europe thanks to the arrival of such superstars as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Sadio Mane.
The country has also made a successful bid to host the 2036 World Cup, which will make Saudis go even crazy for soccer. But before that, they can satisfy their hunger for this sport at the 2024 Esports World Cup.
The thing is that FIFA has agreed to start an annual competition of eSports athletes, which will take place in Saudi Arabia every summer. One of the categories in the tournament is going to be FIFA, with Saudi Arabia being one of the top favorites in sports betting sites mobile apps.
