MOONTON Games and Qiddiya Sign 5-Year Deal to Bring MPL MENA Finals to Saudi Arabia
The commercial landscape of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) esports ecosystem continues its structural consolidation following a pivotal October 27, 2026 announcement: Qiddiya City will officially serve as the host location for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) MENA Grand Finals starting in 2027. Crucially for regional stakeholders, this hosting transition also cements a direct, guaranteed qualification pathway for MENA teams to the mobile title’s pinnacle event, the M-Series World Championship.
MOONTON Games x Qiddiya Investment Company: A Deepening Commercial Alliance
This long-term agreement builds upon an established operational relationship between the two entities. MOONTON Games and Qiddiya Investment Company first collaborated in December 2023, an initial agreement that saw the Saudi megaproject serve as the presenting sponsor for the M5 World Championship in Manila.
The 27th October 2026 hosting announcement is the culmination of an operational relationship formalized earlier in the year. In May 2026, during the MPL MENA Season 9 Grand Finals, MOONTON Games unveiled a five-year collaboration designating Qiddiya City as the league’s Official Partner.
This initial May 2026 agreement reflected a long-term vision to accelerate the growth of MLBB Esports and represented a major step forward for the region's entertainment, esports, and youth ecosystem. The five-year partnership was established to deepen engagement with the youth demographic in one of the world's fastest-growing gaming markets. As part of this foundational collaboration, Qiddiya City committed to supporting MPL MENA through broadcast integrations, on-site activations, fan activities, and community initiatives. In turn, the partnership strengthens Qiddiya City's visibility among gaming and esports audiences by leveraging one of the world's most popular mobile esports ecosystems.
The transition from an overarching international sponsorship to a multi-year, region-specific hosting agreement highlights a strategic shift. Both parties are moving toward localized infrastructure development and sustained regional investment, moving past traditional short-term event activations.
The Evolution of MPL MENA
Since its market entry, MPL MENA has navigated various host cities to build its regional footprint. The inaugural Spring 2022 edition was organized in collaboration with Esports Middle East (ESME), featuring a $130,500 prize pool and hosting its LAN finals at the Dubai Festival City Centre Mall in the United Arab Emirates. Subsequent iterations have seen the event hosted in other key regional hubs, including Cairo, Egypt.
Centralizing the Grand Finals in Qiddiya City from 2027 provides the mobile league with a fixed, purpose-built venue. For participating stakeholders—including team owners, sponsors, and broadcast partners—this standardization guarantees a high-tier competitive environment and predictable logistical frameworks for future fiscal years.
Qiddiya's Specialized Esports Infrastructure
The relocation of the MPL MENA Grand Finals perfectly aligns with QIC’s broader objective to establish a central, physical hub for the global gaming industry. The Qiddiya Gaming & Esports District is a massive 183,100-square-meter development project. Current blueprints for the district include operational spaces for up to 15 esports clubs and regional headquarters for over 30 gaming publishers.
The district will also feature four dedicated esports arenas. One of these primary venues is designed to hold 5,155 seats, ranking it among the largest specialized esports venues globally. Securing multi-year commitments from major mobile esports publishers like MOONTON ensures these multimillion-dollar facilities will maintain a steady pipeline of premium tier-one events upon completion.
MOONTON’s MENA Market Strategy
For MOONTON Games, the Qiddiya Investment Company partnership reinforces a highly targeted market strategy. Following early investments in Arabic game localization and the deployment of dedicated regional servers, the publisher has actively scaled its ecosystem to capture the rapidly growing mobile gaming demographic in the Middle East.
By securing a five-year hosting guarantee and cementing a direct M-Series qualification route, MOONTON is providing local esports organizations with much-needed commercial stability. A guaranteed pathway to the World Championship incentivizes MENA-based organizations to invest in long-term player contracts, coaching staff, and gaming house infrastructure.
Ultimately, this partnership reflects a mutual alignment of interests: Qiddiya Investment Company secures a major tier-one mobile esports property to populate its developing district, while MOONTON achieves the logistical and financial backing necessary to firmly scale its MENA operations over the next half-decade.
