Esports: new ground for French sports diplomacy

This edition will end with the finals of Counter-Strike 2 at the Accor Arena, followed by the Club Championship Trophy presentation at the Grand Palais. French clubs have enjoyed success throughout the competition, in particular Karmine Corp, a finalist in the League of Legends tournament, and Team Vitality, which won the women’s Mobile Legends competition.

Exceptional work to host the EWC in Paris

This private competition, which is organized and funded by the Esports Foundation, received institutional support to help set it up and welcome participants.

Under the coordination of the Sports Ambassador, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) played a major role in interministerial coordination and welcoming organizers and competitors to France under the best possible conditions. The MEAE also contributed to solidarity-based ticketing, enabling over 1,000 scholarship holders, young civic service volunteers, Secours Populaire recipients and young sportspeople from the Île-de-France region to attend the competitions.

Halfway through the tournament, the event had already generated over 200 million viewing hours and recorded a peak of 4.3 million simultaneous spectators, according to the organizer.                                                                                                                                     
The event, to which many French companies also contributed, shows that France is capable of hosting major international events and demonstrating its expertise in cultural and creative industries.

Beyond the hosting of major competitions

But the MEAE's commitment to esports does not stop at the EWC. In over 20 countries, embassies and Instituts Français are using sport as a tool for cooperation, attractiveness and dialogue with young generations. The network has provided support for the Trackmania Nordic Cup in Northern Europe, the Sahel Esports Champions in five African countries, a women’s competition assembling the champions of eight African countries and the immersion of a French professional team in South Korea.

The Ministry’s cooperation instruments also helped structure local ecosystems in Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya by training young people, supporting entrepreneurs and clubs, organizing competitions and developing partnerships with the French sector.

Finally, the MEAE is working to make France more attractive to international talent. Since 2024, the consular network has been facilitating access for professional esports players through the “Talent Passport” programme. The Ministry is also helping to prepare the new national esports strategy, including on the international mobility of players, hosting future competitions and mobilizing the diplomatic and cultural network.

Through this work, esports are becoming a genuine sports diplomacy tool for France, furthering its influence, attractiveness and international cooperation.

Photo: MEAE