FIFAe Moves Its Finals to Jeddah for Ten Days in October

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02 September 2026 13:08

Same country but different city.

The FIFAe Finals 2026 will run between 16 to 25 October at Jeddah's Abadi Al Johar Arena, the events first visit to the city after consecutive events in Riyadh.

Three world champions will get crowned across eFootball Console, eFootball Mobile and Rocket League. Twelve national teams will compete in each eFootball competition, and 16 in Rocket League.

Schedule

eFootball: 16 to 18 October
Rocket League: 20 to 21 October
Champions Weekend: 23 to 25 October

Events are consolidated.

Getting there

120 nations entered qualifications, which is where the 2026 cycle differs most from what came before.

FIFA member federations competed through the FIFAe Nations League, then into five in-person Continental Championships held across Malaysia, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico and Portugal during August. Top performers from those qualified to Jeddah event.

Previously the event was invitation-only, and associations can now build squads through domestic trials, bootcamps or nominations rather than waiting to be asked.

The Saudi partnership

FIFAe confirmed the 2025 and 2026 editions together in July 2025, with the Saudi Esports Federation announced as long-term partner, so Jeddah was locked in over a year ago.

The arrangement sits inside the Saudi Vision 2030, the same strategy behind the Esports World Cup, PIF's EA acquisition and Savvy Games Group, targeting 39,000 gaming jobs and 13.3 billion dollars in GDP contribution by 2030.

"Hosting the FIFAe Finals through 2026 stands as a testament to our commitment to supporting and delivering world-class esports events," said SEF products executive director Meshal Alqabbani.

FIFA's eFootball and gaming director Christian Volk framed the free-to-play shift as an accessibility play: "Onboarding free-to-play titles and confirming the event for two seasons are significant steps on our journey to facilitate accessibility for nations and players from around the world."

Saudi Arabia won the 2024 Rocket League edition on home turf, beating France 4-1.

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Tags: FIFAe

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