Riyadh: The Saudi Esports Federation, the national body of esports in the Kingdom, and PUBG MOBILE, one of the world’s most popular mobile games, announced the signing of a landmark memorandum of understanding, marking a pivotal moment in the development of the Kingdom’s esports ecosystem.

The strategic alliance aligns PUBG MOBILE’s local community with the SEF’s national esports development objectives, and is expected to create unprecedented opportunities for Saudi players.

It integrates the PUBG MOBILE National Championship into the SEF’s Saudi eLeague, making it the main PUBG MOBILE competition within the national circuit. This alignment strengthens the SEF’s grassroots-to-pro structure and embeds PMNC as a core component of Saudi Arabia’s official esports calendar.

The MoU has already yielded record-breaking results, further streamlining the pathway from amateur to professional for aspiring Saudi players.

In addition to PMNC’s role, the partnership encompasses broader development through the SEF Academy and university leagues — ensuring a structured and sustainable talent pipeline for PUBG MOBILE players in Saudi Arabia.

And as a direct consequence of the collaboration, the champion of PMNC KSA, held within SEL, will now earn a coveted spot to compete at the prestigious PUBG MOBILE World Cup, held as part of the Esports World Cup later this year.

The PMWC boasts a staggering $3 million prize pool, solidifying its position as one of the most sought-after global PUBG MOBILE tournaments, with the opportunity representing a monumental step for Saudi players by offering them a chance to showcase their skills on the world stage and to compete for a life-changing prize.

“Through strategic collaborations with leading titles such as PUBG MOBILE, we are expanding opportunities for our players, building sustainable pathways to international competition, and accelerating the development of a dynamic and thriving esports ecosystem,” said Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, president of the federation.

“We are proud to see Saudi talent rise to the global stage and look forward to inspiring future generations to pursue esports excellence,” he added.

Vincent Wang, head of PUBG MOBILE Publishing, Tencent Games, said that PUBG MOBILE “is deeply committed to fostering the growth of esports in Saudi Arabia, and this MoU with the Saudi Esports Federation is a testament to that commitment.

“We are thrilled to provide the Kingdom’s players a clear pathway to the global stage, starting with the PMNC KSA champion’s journey to the PUBG MOBILE World Cup. We believe this partnership will unlock the immense potential of Saudi esports and inspire a new generation of champions,” he added.

The impact of the partnership is already clear, with PMNC KSA witnessing record-breaking player registrations, surpassing all previous PUBG MOBILE tournaments in the Kingdom.

“By embedding PUBG MOBILE into our structured leagues and talent development programs, we are enabling players to compete at a professional standard from an early stage,” said Meshal Al-Qabbani, executive director of esports at the Saudi Esports Federation. “We look forward to witnessing a new wave of Saudi talent rise through the ranks and achieve international success through this historic collaboration.”

The surge in players highlights the growing enthusiasm for PUBG MOBILE esports in Saudi Arabia, as well as the strength of the collaboration between PUBG MOBILE and the SEF.

The MoU announcement coincides with the culmination of PMNC KSA, where the champion will be crowned, awarded $26,000 and have their ticket to the PMWC metaphorically punched.

AUSTRALIA: All roads lead to Jeddah this week as the top eight teams of this year’s AFC Champions League Elite converge on the coastal city to determine the best club in Asia.

There is a significant shift from the usual home-and-away format that has operated for the past two decades since the AFC Champions League was reformed in the early 2000s.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and final will all be staged in a centralized location over a two-week period, in a move that has divided opinion in Asian football circles.

With Saudi Arabia confirmed as the host for this new centralized format provisionally until the 2028-29 edition, it grants a massive advantage to the three Saudi Pro League sides that qualify for the tournament each season, should they progress this far.

And given the strength of the competition at the moment, it is hard to see a scenario in which the final eight does not include three SPL sides.

This year the clubs are Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Jeddah-based Al-Ahli, who get the benefit of not just home nation advantage, but home city and home ground as well.

In an ominous sign for the remaining five sides, the three have dominated proceedings this season. In the 30 games played combined, they have won 23, drawn five and lost just two.

If anyone wants to take the trophy away from Saudi Arabia after the next fortnight’s action, they’re going to have their work cut out for them.

But just how well-placed are Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli to be crowned Asian champions this year?

Al-Hilal

Widely considered — especially in their own minds — to be Asia’s biggest club, lifting continental silverware is almost a minimum expectation, which is an almost impossible standard to meet.

And it might prove so this season given their current run of form, having uncharacteristically lost four of their past 10 in all competitions. Such form is tantamount to a full-blown crisis, and yet they remain in the running for both the league and ACL Elite this season.

The return to fitness of Joao Cancelo is a significant boost for Jorge Jesus’ side, with the Portuguese international sidelined since the start of March with a hamstring injury. But getting 26 minutes into his legs off the bench in the 3-0 win over Al-Khaleej is just what the doctor ordered.

Their aura in this competition means they are always a threat and if they can get past South Korea’s Gwangju, a potential clash with Al-Ahli awaits in the semifinals. This would pose a significant challenge having lost 3-2 to Matthias Jaissle’s side last time out.

Al-Ahli

It has been a weird season for Al-Ahli. A slow start in the SPL, with just three wins from their first nine, put them on the back foot from the get-go.

But once they turned their form around they became one of the most in-form teams in the entire competition, even if that was not reflected in their ladder position.

Despite their turnaround in form, however, they have continued to struggle against fellow Big Four teams, with just one win from six against Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad this season.

All the while, in continental competition, they went 7-1-0 in the ACL Elite to look one of the most convincing teams. And backed that up with commanding 3-1 and 2-0 wins over Al-Rayyan in the round of 16.

Perhaps no player epitomizes their persona more than Ivan Toney. Despite bagging 25 goals in all competitions, he does not carry the aura that someone with those numbers ordinarily might. That is Al-Ahli this season. The numbers stack up, but the aura is not quite there.

With home ground advantage over the next two weeks, though, and a first-up clash with Thailand’s Buriram United, they have a chance to achieve something this club has never achieved before.

Al-Nassr

This is the moment for Cristiano Ronaldo to silence the doubters, and there have been plenty since his move to Al-Nassr at the end of 2022.

Firstly Al-Ittihad, and then Al-Hilal, have thwarted his attempts for silverware domestically. And again it looks like they will fall short in that regard this season, especially after their 2-1 loss to Al-Qadsiah last week.

That result left them eight points behind top spot with a dwindling number of games in which to overturn the deficit. But the opportunity to lift continental silverware, with all the reward and prestige that comes with it, remains tantalizingly close.

If they are to do it, Ronaldo will be the man to lead them.

Despite entering his fifth decade on this earth, he shows no signs of slowing down, leading the SPL Golden Boot race with 23 goals, while he has 32 in all competitions this season including seven in the ACL Elite.

If Jhon Duran can find the fire again, with his last goal for Al-Nassr coming over a month ago, they have the firepower to go all the way.

They are facing a Yokohama F. Marinos side in disarray, having just sacked their coach Steve Holland, and sitting bottom of the J. League.

In the quarterfinal they have to be favorites to reach the final from their side of the draw, with a potential semifinal against either Al-Sadd or Kawasaki Frontale.