Mastercard, a financial business, has joined the Esports World Cup, a multi-title esports championship held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation.

Mastercard will have a booth, plan activations and giveaways, and collaborate with the EWC to develop an electronic payment system for attendees.

Mastercard and the Esports World Cup will collaborate on a project that will prioritise fan interaction and on-site activations over the company's flagship technology. Mastercard did clarify that "seamless digital payments" are included in the agreement.

Furthermore, Mastercard will host weekly competitions for guests and provide prizes for top achievers. Meet and greets with Saudi esports stars and celebrities will take place at the Mastercard booth during the event.

With more than 20 tournaments and a total prize pool of little over $60 million, the Esports World Cup is currently underway and is the largest gaming and esports event in the world. Due to the Saudi Arabian government's history of violating human rights, some in the esports community have criticised the competition, which is being held in Saudi Arabia in July and August, for what they refer to as "esportswashing."

Mastercard continues to grow its network of partners in spite of the criticism; these include Pepsi, TikTok, Amazon, Logitech G, Esports Charts, Adidas, and many more.

"Since Saudi Arabia is home to some of the most skilled and dedicated gamers in the world, we are proud to contribute to the development of the Kingdom's gaming industry in line with Vision 2030 and in tandem with Saudi Esports Federation (SEF)," stated Maria Medvedeva, Country Manager for Saudi Arabia & Bahrain at Mastercard.

"We are eager to further our long-standing collaboration with SEF in order to support the thriving gaming industry in the Kingdom. We are excited to have visitors from all over the world at EWC.