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Saudi Crown Prince Attends Esports World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony in Paris

The Saudi Crown Prince’s attendance underscored his continued support for the gaming and esports sector. SPA
The Saudi Crown Prince’s attendance underscored his continued support for the gaming and esports sector. SPA
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Saudi Crown Prince Attends Esports World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony in Paris

The Saudi Crown Prince’s attendance underscored his continued support for the gaming and esports sector. SPA
The Saudi Crown Prince’s attendance underscored his continued support for the gaming and esports sector. SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris on Sunday, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

During the ceremony, the Crown Prince witnessed Macron crown AG.AL as the Esports World Cup 2026 Club Champion. The club secured the title after finishing first in the overall standings with 5,300 points, earning the $7 million grand prize.

The Crown Prince’s attendance underscored his continued support for the gaming and esports sector and his vision to position the Kingdom at the forefront of the industry’s global growth and development.

The 2026 edition recorded continued growth across the tournament, attracting large audiences and a 94% increase in tickets sold to esports competitions.

More than 850 million viewers followed the competition across digital platforms worldwide, generating over 440 million hours of watch time through global content distributed in 47 languages.

CEO of the Esports Foundation Ralf Reichert said: “We are deeply grateful for the continued support of HRH the Crown Prince, which has been instrumental in building the Esports World Cup into the global platform it is today. Bringing EWC to Paris marks an important new chapter and demonstrates the strength of the model established in Saudi Arabia, while Riyadh remains its home.”

He congratulated AG.AL and said “Paris embraced the Esports World Cup and made it its own, proving that something created in Saudi Arabia can belong to fans everywhere.”

The Paris edition marks a new international chapter for the Esports World Cup and demonstrates the strength of the model established in the Kingdom: a global sporting and cultural platform capable of engaging audiences across major world capitals. Riyadh remains the home of the Esports World Cup and a central pillar of its long-term vision.

Held from July 6 to August 23, the 2026 edition brought together more than 2,000 professional players representing 200 clubs from 100 countries.

They competed in 25 tournaments featuring some of the world's most popular esports titles for a prize pool exceeding $75 million, the largest in esports history.

The Esports World Cup was announced by the Crown Prince in 2023 as a Saudi-born initiative with global ambition. Riyadh hosted the inaugural edition in 2024 and an expanded second edition in 2025, before Paris became the first international city to stage the tournament outside Saudi Arabia in 2026.

With the conclusion of its third edition, the Esports World Cup continues to strengthen its position as a global platform that brings people and communities together through competition, excellence and innovation.

The Kingdom, meanwhile, continues to advance its leading role in shaping the future of esports and transforming young people’s passion for gaming into sustainable economic, professional and cultural opportunities.

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Sports

Wolff Says Antonelli Still No Senna, but ‘Senninha’ Can Grow

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Wolff Says Antonelli Still No Senna, but ‘Senninha’ Can Grow

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff ‌may still be reluctant to compare Kimi Antonelli to Ayrton Senna but, after a week immersed in the late Brazilian driver's legacy and family, he suggested there may be room for a "Senninha" after all.

Antonelli spent time with members of Senna's family ahead of Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, sat in the cockpit of the triple world champion's 1986 Lotus and visited his grave before racing at Interlagos, where Senna remains a ubiquitous presence.

The 20-year-old Italian became Formula One's youngest world champion after clinching the drivers' title in Mexico last week.

While Wolff again cautioned against measuring Antonelli against the Brazilian great, he said members of the Senna family had jokingly ‌embraced the Italian ‌as a potential "Senninha", or "Little Senna".

"Comparing Kimi to Senna, I ‌was ⁠always not very ⁠keen in having this comparison," Wolff told reporters. "Because, you know, Senna is a giant of the sport. Who he was as a person, who he was as a racing driver.

"And I feel that setting these standards for a 20-year-old driver is a lot of pressure, and that's why I want to not compare him at that stage."

But the Austrian struck a lighter tone when discussing Antonelli's reception in Brazil.

"It's ⁠sweet to see how the Senna family embraces him. ‌They say that it's the first time that ‌it looks like there is a second Senninha. That is the first time that you ‌can see, 'Okay, you know, he's a little bit like him'.

"But maybe at ‌that stage he's a Senninha and not a Senna yet. So let the Senninha develop, let him become a Senna."

The remark carried particular resonance in Brazil, where "Senninha" is also the name of a hugely popular comic book character inspired by Senna and launched only months ‌before the driver's death at Imola in 1994.

Antonelli had spoken warmly to Reuters earlier in the week about Senna's ⁠influence on his ⁠career, describing the Brazilian as a childhood hero whose dedication, passion and empathy inspired him from an early age.

The Italian's own Sao Paulo story, however, did not end with the fairy-tale victory many fans had hoped for.

Starting strongly and taking the lead from second on the grid, Antonelli looked on course to win before spinning at Turn One, the famous Senna "S".

He eventually finished fifth as McLaren's Lando Norris won the race. Mercedes, nevertheless, secured the constructors' championship.

"I'm really disappointed for the race, and very angry to be fair," Antonelli told reporters. "But I'm going to put all this aside for now because the team clinched the title.

"We were on for the win ... The spin came, which still is something I need to look at, because I don't know why I lost the rear so quickly," he added.

Sports

Eala Ready to Disappear for a Bit After Breakout Season Comes to an End

Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Eala Ready to Disappear for a Bit After Breakout Season Comes to an End

Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)

Alex Eala said ‌she is looking forward to lying low for a while after her breakout campaign ended on Sunday with a 6-3 6-0 defeat by American Claire Liu in the Hong Kong Open final.

The 21-year-old, who became the highest-ranked Filipino and Southeast Asian player in WTA history earlier this season, has become a fan favorite ‌this year and ‌her run in Hong ‌Kong ⁠will lift her ⁠to a career-high 15th in the world rankings.

Eala won her first WTA Tour-level title at the Washington Open in August and claimed seven wins over top-10 players across the year. She also won ⁠a bronze medal at the Asian ‌Games last month.

"I ‌didn't know that was on the cards ‌for me, to end the year at ‌15th," she told reporters after the Hong Kong final.

"This whole season, just to top it off with ending the year 15th, it's ‌like dreams are only dreams until they're not."

Asked what her goals ⁠were ⁠for 2027, Eala said she had not spent much time thinking about next season.

"I've been really enjoying the fruits of my labor of this year. Just because it's been one (tournament) and then the other and then the other...

"I'm going to spend time with my family, just lay low, disappear for a little bit," she added.

"Yeah, those are my plans. Just to disappear."

Sports

Hamilton Says Tension with Ferrari Teammate Leclerc 'Squashed'

Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
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Hamilton Says Tension with Ferrari Teammate Leclerc 'Squashed'

Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP

Lewis Hamilton said he and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc had "squashed" the tension between them that followed their first lap tangle in Mexico.

He said they had resolved to work together for the team in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, AFP reported.

The seven-time champion spoke after qualifying 11th in Saturday's rain-hit qualifying at Interlagos where he will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid after taking a penalty for using two new engines.

When asked if his relationship with Leclerc was improved after team boss Fred Vasseur held clear the air talks with them on Thursday evening, Hamilton said: "Fred hasn't cleared the air. It was me and Charles.

"We sat and we spoke, we squashed it. And we're moving on. We still have a huge amount of respect for each other.

"I'm glad we had a chat and now we move on. We've been getting along just fine, as normal.

"Sometimes in those certain scenarios, it just takes having a conversation.

"There's been no demands from either side. It's just been both of us giving our points in areas we can do better and support each other.

"I'm hoping to have better races now, moving forward."

His comments came amid much discussion of Ferrari's need to introduce "rules of engagement" for their drivers, a notion resisted by Vasseur.

Of his qualifying, he said: "I love qualifying and getting to drive in the rain - and this is such an amazing track to race in all conditions, but in the wet particularly.

"It was really a bit of a practice for me in case it is wet again tomorrow."

Leclerc, who had returned to Monaco after Mexico for the birth of his daughter, qualified fourth but will start 14th due to serving a 10-place penalty for taking a new engine.

He agreed he and Hamilton had sorted out their problems.

"When we speak, things are much better straightaway," he said.

"Of course, there is some tension. We want to finish ahead of each other and sometimes we are not going to do things right, but it's OK to disagree sometimes on the way you see things.

"But discussing things helps a whole lot."