The bosses of Electronic Arts have just trousered a historic $55 billion deal. For the uninitiated, EA is the outfit behind Madden NFL and EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA). On its own, that number is jaw-dropping. In context, it’s just another brick in Saudi Arabia’s ever-expanding sports empire.
Thanks to Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s grand plan to diversify its economy beyond oil, the shopping spree is unlikely to stop any time soon. Driving it are two players: the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a $700bn sovereign wealth machine, and its dedicated sports arm, SURJ Sports Investments, whose job is to hoover up rights, build IP and seemingly plant Saudi’s flag on every court, track and pitch.
The portfolio already looks like a collector’s fantasy. In gaming, alongside EA there’s Niantic’s division (Pokémon Go), Scopely (Monopoly Go), and a seat at Embracer, the Swedish giant behind Tomb Raider and Borderlands. Esports are firmly in the mix too: Saudi staged the Esports World Cup with a $60m prize fund in 2024 and will host the Olympic Esports Games in 2027.
Traditional sport tells the same story. Football sees CONCACAF sponsorship and a significant investment into staging the FIFA Club World Cup. Tennis has ATP and WTA partnerships and hosting rights in Riyadh for the WTA Finals through 2026. Motorsport is dripping with Aramco branding, plus F1 races and equity in Formula E, Extreme E and E1. In combat sports, the Professional Fighters League (UFC’s main rival) has been backed while the Kingdom has also hosted its first UFC event. Also in the mix are Triathlon’s PTO, LIV Golf and Newcastle FC.
It might look like someone’s been given the corporate credit card, but this isn’t scattergun. It’s a bold, well-funded land grab of rights at the height of sport’s gold rush. Unlike some rivals, Saudi is also buying ‘picks and shovels’ – the tech, the broadcasters, the platforms etc – that keep the whole industry turning. It all adds up to a portfolio that mixes crown jewels with smart growth punts.
If these holdings ever made it to market (or back to IPO), think what that would do for the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul). And while I’m speculating, think what impact it could have on the US as sport’s promised land.
You can dislike the strategy, even reject it outright, but you can’t say Saudi isn’t putting its money where its ambition is and you can’t say it isn’t smart
Want more like this?
Sign up to Access Innovation – the newsletter that tells you what’s next before it ends up in your competitor’s performance stack.
No comment yet, add your voice below!