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Riyadh to Host Gulf Esports League Finals 2024 on June 27-28

The Saudi Esports Federation said Riyadh will be hosting the GCC Esports League 2024 finals on June 27- 28. SPA
The Saudi Esports Federation said Riyadh will be hosting the GCC Esports League 2024 finals on June 27- 28. SPA
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Riyadh to Host Gulf Esports League Finals 2024 on June 27-28

The Saudi Esports Federation said Riyadh will be hosting the GCC Esports League 2024 finals on June 27- 28. SPA
The Saudi Esports Federation said Riyadh will be hosting the GCC Esports League 2024 finals on June 27- 28. SPA

The Saudi Esports Federation has announced that Riyadh will be hosting the GCC Esports League 2024 finals, taking place from June 27 to 28.
The championship will feature intense competitions in Rocket League and TEKKEN 8, with a total prize pool of $150,000.
This tournament is the latest addition to the growing esports scene in the Middle East; it will feature elite professionals and top clubs from six countries competing in thrilling matches.
The league's first event started with the group stage and ran from May 12 to 21. Twelve teams from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates competed in an online Rocket League tournament, one of the world's most popular titles.
President of the Saudi Esports Federation Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan emphasized the Kingdom's dedication to developing the esports sector, supporting talents, and organizing top-notch events and tournaments.
Among the contenders are Kuwait's Xenon Esports and Oman's National Team B, which secured their spots in the finals as winners of Groups A and B, respectively, in the first online stage of the tournament.
Other strong competitors include Bahrain National Team, Unity Esports from Kuwait, KHK Esports from Bahrain, Twisted Minds, and Team Falcons representing Saudi Arabia.

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Sports

We Will Know How Good We Are After Group Stage, Says Germany Captain Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich of Team Germany talks to the media during a press conference at Donovan L. Nicol Hall of Excellence at Winston-Salem State University on June 16, 2026 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
Joshua Kimmich of Team Germany talks to the media during a press conference at Donovan L. Nicol Hall of Excellence at Winston-Salem State University on June 16, 2026 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
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We Will Know How Good We Are After Group Stage, Says Germany Captain Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich of Team Germany talks to the media during a press conference at Donovan L. Nicol Hall of Excellence at Winston-Salem State University on June 16, 2026 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
Joshua Kimmich of Team Germany talks to the media during a press conference at Donovan L. Nicol Hall of Excellence at Winston-Salem State University on June 16, 2026 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)

Germany's seven-goal rout of ‌Curacao for their World Cup opener has triggered a wave of enthusiasm among success-starved fans, but captain Joshua Kimmich said on Tuesday the team needed their next two group matches to see exactly where they stand.

The Germans thrashed Curacao 7-1 on Sunday to take control of Group E. They play Ivory Coast, also on three points following their 1-0 win over Ecuador, on Saturday before completing their group matches against Ecuador next week.

"It was an expected win for us but the way it happened was very dominant," Kimmich told a press conference. "But ‌we have seen ‌that to win by such a score is ‌not ⁠expected (in this tournament)." ⁠

While the four-time champions easily won their opener against the World Cup newcomers from the Caribbean, European champions Spain stumbled to a 0-0 draw against minnows Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia also snatched a draw against Uruguay.

Germany are desperate to restore their international reputation after suffering shock first-round exits in the previous two World Cups in 2018 and ⁠2022. They are now on a 10-game winning streak, ‌but Kimmich said the team would ‌have a much better picture of their chances in the tournament after the ‌group stage.

"Both teams (Ivory Coast and Ecuador) are physically very strong and ‌they can deal well with the conditions," Kimmich said.

"We played the first game against an opponent who is certainly not world class. Now come some challenges where we can see where we stand. We have great qualities to ‌hurt opponents. We need to work on stability, reduce the goals we concede, even against a small ⁠opponent."

While the ⁠Germans want to gradually hit top form at the right time after more than a decade of failing to make any impact on the international stage, Kimmich warned they needed to be more consistent in their game.

Former Germany coach Joachim Loew, who led them to their last World Cup title in 2014, told a sports show back in Germany that while the team had a lot of quality it was still lacking the necessary stability to win the title.

"Let's play the next two matches and then all the experts can better evaluate where we stand," Kimmich said. "We have now won 10 games in a row. I have the feeling that we are on a good path."

Sports

Serena Williams to Play Doubles with Sister Venus at Wimbledon

FILE -Venus Williams, left, and sister Serena talk together, during their Women's Doubles match against Irina Spirlea and Caroline Vis, at Wimbledon, July 4, 2000. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE -Venus Williams, left, and sister Serena talk together, during their Women's Doubles match against Irina Spirlea and Caroline Vis, at Wimbledon, July 4, 2000. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
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Serena Williams to Play Doubles with Sister Venus at Wimbledon

FILE -Venus Williams, left, and sister Serena talk together, during their Women's Doubles match against Irina Spirlea and Caroline Vis, at Wimbledon, July 4, 2000. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE -Venus Williams, left, and sister Serena talk together, during their Women's Doubles match against Irina Spirlea and Caroline Vis, at Wimbledon, July 4, 2000. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Serena Williams will play at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 after the American legend was given a wildcard to play the doubles event with her sister Venus on Tuesday.

Williams made a sensational return to tennis last week when she won her first-round doubles match at Queen's Club with partner Victoria Mboko.

The 44-year-old had not played professional tennis for four years after saying she was "evolving away" from the sport following the 2022 US Open.

But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was keen to play in front of her two young daughters and made the shock announcement of her return just prior to the Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's.

Williams was unable to play more than one match at Queen's after Mboko pulled out with an injury, but she is due to continue her remarkable comeback in the Berlin Open doubles alongside Karolina Muchova this week.

The Williams sisters are six-time doubles champions at Wimbledon, winning their last title on their most recent appearance together a decade ago.

Following speculation that Serena would be tempted to play in the singles at Wimbledon, which starts on June 29, the American was absent from the list of wildcard entries into that part of the tournament.

After so long away, she had no ranking to secure automatic entry into tournaments, leaving her to rely on wildcards.

There is still one singles wildcard place for Wimbledon to be announced.

Sports

Gazans Displaced by War Watch World Cup from the Ruins

Palestinian football fans watch 2026 World Cup matches at a cafe in Gaza City, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian football fans watch 2026 World Cup matches at a cafe in Gaza City, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Gazans Displaced by War Watch World Cup from the Ruins

Palestinian football fans watch 2026 World Cup matches at a cafe in Gaza City, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian football fans watch 2026 World Cup matches at a cafe in Gaza City, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Fadi Al-Arawi, a footballer in the Gaza Strip Premier League, hasn't been able to take the pitch since pro sports were suspended with the outbreak of war more than two years ago. Like most Gazans, he no longer even has a home where he can watch the World Cup on TV.

As Saturday's match between Qatar and Switzerland was about to get under way, he wore his old Gaza Sports Club professional uniform and medals he had picked up at international competitions.

He hovered in the darkness over a flickering laptop, trying to get an internet signal to watch the match with a group of friends in a room in a school converted into a shelter for Gazans displaced by ‌Israel's military campaign.

"See, ‌this is the internet, it's starting to cut out and ‌the ⁠match hasn't even ⁠started yet," Al-Arawi, 38, told Reuters in Khan Younis as Israeli drones hummed overhead. "Can you hear the drones? We might live or die, we might be bombed."

Much of Gaza was destroyed and its infrastructure heavily damaged during Israel's two-year military assault in the territory, launched after the October 2023 Hamas attacks.

Despite an October 2025 truce, Israel has continued to carry out attacks in Gaza, and Hamas has so far rebuffed calls to lay down its ⁠arms in exchange for Israel withdrawing its troops.

'DESPITE EVERYTHING, WE WILL ‌WATCH THE MATCHES'

Nearly the entire population of more ‌than 2 million Palestinians lives in a narrow strip of Hamas-controlled territory along the coast, mainly ‌in tents and damaged buildings.

Alaa Babli, who runs the Royal Cafe in Gaza City, ‌installed two alternative power lines and a backup battery to ensure late-night matches can still be screened once fuel-powered generators shut down after midnight.

Hani Abu Rizq, who came to watch a match beneath flags of Egypt and Morocco hanging on the cafe wall, said Gazans are never free ‌of fear when out in public.

"The cafe could be targeted," he said. "Something next to me could be targeted and I ⁠could lose my life... ⁠But despite everything we are suffering, we are continuing, and we will watch the matches."

The Palestinian Football Association says 1,000 athletes were among the 73,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in the war since 2023, from children and amateurs in all sports to referees and professionals.

Israel has also destroyed around 285 sports facilities — some completely bulldozed, others bombed. Israeli forces converted stadiums into detention camps, some of which became notorious for allegations of mistreatment of prisoners there, which Israel denies.

The enclave's flagship Al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, where Al-Arawi and other professionals once played in front of thousands of spectators, is now a tent city for displaced families.

"Since the Israeli war of extermination in 2023, Palestinian sports have been a primary target of the Israeli military machine," said Mustafa Siam of the Palestinian Football Association.