The Esports World Cup is leaving Riyadh for the first time, landing in Paris with a $75 million prize pool and a broadcast deal that puts competitive gaming on mainstream French television. France Télévisions, the country’s public broadcaster, will air daily highlights starting July 7 through the tournament’s conclusion on August 23.
French regulations now allow licensed cryptocurrency companies to sponsor the event. That intersection of esports, mainstream media, and regulated crypto sponsorship is quietly building a template that could reshape how digital asset firms reach new audiences.
The broadcast deal and what’s behind it
The program, titled “La Minute EWC,” will run daily across all seven weeks of the tournament. European esports promoter N.E.O. (New Esports Org.), co-founded by Bertrand Amar and Matthieu Dallon, brokered the partnership with France Télévisions and will handle production of the segment.
The tournament itself is massive. Over 2,000 players from more than 200 clubs will compete across 25 tournaments spanning 24 different games. The move from Riyadh to Paris was driven partly by a desire for global rotation and partly by France’s deep-rooted gaming culture.
