The SportsTech Brief

The business of sports tech, in brief.

Sports tech news · Middle East

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M&A · 10 Feb 2026 · GB, SA

HUMAIN launches sport arm with ai.io deal

PIF-owned AI company HUMAIN has acquired a controlling stake in sports technology firm ai.io to launch a new vertical, HUMAIN Sport. The deal marks a significant expansion for HUMAIN, which was established by PIF in May 2025. The new division, HUMAIN Sport, will combine the company’s full-stack AI…

Sport Industry Group
Esports · 6 Feb 2026 · AE

Gran Turismo World Series 2026 heads to Abu Dhabi for opening round

The Gran Turismo World Series has announced that the opening round of the 2026 season will take place in Abu Dhabi. Taking place at the Space42 Arena, 24 drivers will compete in the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup to begin the four-round championship running throughout the year. The first…

Esports Insider
Esports · 5 Feb 2026 · CN, JP, SA

Overwatch announces OWCS 2026 LAN events in Japan and China

Blizzard Entertainment has announced the locations for its Overwatch Champions Series major LAN tournaments in 2026. OWCS Champions Clash, Midseason Championship, and the World Finals will take place across Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China, respectively. According to the announcement, the first LAN…

Esports Insider
Esports · 4 Feb 2026 · SA

Chess tournament details revealed for Esports World Cup 2026

The Esports World Cup Foundation has revealed details for the 2026 Esports World Cup Chess tournament taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later this year. A post online revealed the global competition’s qualification slots, alongside the main event’s format, tournament dates, prize pool and more…

Esports Insider
Partnerships · 2 Feb 2026 · SA

Yalla Group partners with Saudi Esports Federation for ecosystem growth

Middle Eastern gaming company Yalla Group has announced a partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation. The deal will see the company become an official event partner for the Saudi eLeague 2026 season in addition to supporting the growth of Saudi Arabia’s esports ecosystem. According to a press…

Esports Insider
Esports · 28 Jan 2026 · SA

Esports Nations Cup reveals Dota 2 as latest title

The Esports World Cup Foundation has revealed Dota 2 as the third title to be part of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC). Valve’s MOBA is one of 16 titles set to be featured at the multi-national esports event taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this November. From November 2nd to November…

Esports Insider
Broadcast & Streaming · 23 Jan 2026 · SA

Asharq News Expands Cloud DR with Grass Valley AMPP

Grass Valley announces that Asharq News, a multi-platform Arabic news service owned by the Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG), has expanded its cloud-based disaster recovery capabilities with the deployment

Sports Video Group
Esports · 22 Jan 2026 · GB, SA

British Esports outlines Esports Nations Cup bid

National esports body British Esports has revealed plans to secure National Team Partner status for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup. The body, alongside several notable stakeholders from esports and traditional sport, aims to field a national team at the upcoming multinational event taking place…

Esports Insider
Esports · 22 Jan 2026 · SA

Team Falcons expands into Trackmania with CarlJr signing

Saudi Arabian esports organisation Team Falcons has announced its expansion into arcade racing title Trackmania. The organisation has signed Carl-Antoni ‘CarlJr‘ Cloutier as the first player of its roster, with the competitor set to compete in high-profile tournaments across the world. Unveiled on…

Esports Insider
Broadcast & Streaming · 20 Jan 2026 · SA

FOMEX 2026: Grass Valley Showcases Future-Ready Live Production

Grass Valley will demonstrate how it is powering scalable, future-ready live production at FOMEX 2026, taking place Feb. 2-4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Exhibiting at Booth #107, the company will

Sports Video Group
Esports · 19 Jan 2026 · SA

Team Falcons calls up CS2 academy player NucleonZ for BLAST Bounty playoffs

Team Falcons has called up Matej ‘NucleonZ‘ Trajkoski from its academy roster to compete in the BLAST Bounty Season 1 playoffs. The change to the Saudi-Arabian esports organisation’s Counter-Strike 2 roster comes as a result of Maksim ‘kyousuke‘ Lukin encountering “unresolved visa complications.”…

Esports Insider
Partnerships · 19 Jan 2026 · SA

Esports World Cup adds Trackmania to 2026 line-up

The Esports World Cup (EWC) has revealed arcade racing game Trackmania as the final title for its 2026 event. In addition to a tournament taking place as part of the multi-title esports event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has secured a multi-year deal with Ubisoft…

Esports Insider