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RIYADH: ����ֱ��’s top esports teams have continued to make their mark on the global stage at the Esports World Cup 2025, with Team Falcons and Twisted Minds delivering standout victories in front of sold-out crowds at Boulevard Riyadh City.

Team Falcons recently stormed to victory in Overwatch 2, while Twisted Minds captured the Call of Duty: Warzone title in a dramatic grand final performance, adding crucial points to their Club Championship standings.

The Overwatch 2 competition showcased Saudi dominance, with all top-three places claimed by local teams.

Team Falcons defeated Al-Qadsiah Esports 4-0 in the final, their first title of the tournament. Twisted Minds claimed third place after a 3-1 victory over South Korea’s T1, highlighting the Kingdom’s depth of talent in the title.

Twisted Minds triumphed in the Call of Duty: Warzone tournament, lifting the trophy after an intense 10-game final. Along the way, they defeated top-seeded rivals, including last year’s champions and tournament favorites Team Falcons, who finished fifth overall.

Saudi teams have also earned podium finishes and top placements across a range of other competitions.

Team Falcons finished second in Dota 2 after a dominant path to the grand final, with victories over Team Liquid and Tundra Esports, before falling to Team Spirit.

In the inaugural Esports World Cup Chess tournament, Team Falcons’ Alireza Firouzja placed second behind Magnus Carlsen, while teammate Hikaru Nakamura took third.

ROC Esports delivered a historic result in Apex Legends, finishing second among 40 of the world’s best teams, and Twisted Minds reached the semifinals of Honor of Kings to claim fourth place.

In addition, Team Falcons secured sixth in Free Fire and 10th in PUBG Mobile, with fellow Saudi team POWR Esports finishing 12th in the latter.

With two weeks of competition remaining, the race for the Esports World Cup Club Championship is heating up.

Team Falcons sit in second place overall with 3,700 points behind leaders Team Liquid, while Twisted Minds have strengthened their standing with their Call of Duty victory, climbing to fifth place with 2,200 points.

The coming days will see Saudi teams compete in several more high-profile tournaments, with the potential to add to the Kingdom’s medal count and Club Championship points total.

Here are some of the events that will include Saudi teams before the end of the competition:

Rocket League: Saudi squads Team Falcons and Twisted Minds are targeting Esports World Cup glory, with Team Falcons looking to go one better after finishing as runners-up last year.

PUBG: Battlegrounds: Team Falcons and Twisted Minds are set to battle for success in the tournament.

Tekken 8: Team Falcons are entering with proven regional champions.

Teamfight Tactics: Falcons, POWR Esports, and Twisted Minds are all in action, with strong prospects for deep runs.

Counter-Strike 2: Team Falcons are aiming for redemption after previous close finishes.

Street Fighter 6: Team Falcons’ top fighters are expected to contend against the world’s best.

Crossfire: Team Falcons, Twisted Minds, and Al-Qadsiah will represent ����ֱ��.

ATLANTA: Human rights scandals have marred World Cup tournaments for years, but FIFA is testing a new protocol requiring all host committees to develop action plans to protect human rights for the 2026 games in North America.
With the games less than a year away, though, FIFA’s commitment to upholding human rights is still under scrutiny. Human rights advocates who wanted more enforceable standards and clearer directions for local officials say FIFA watered down a more robust model for the plans.
“Even though where we landed is very different than what we had consulted them on, the existence of the framework is in many ways unprecedented. Sports bodies have not had human rights frameworks that reflected the breadth of issues covered across so many jurisdictions. But the plan is just a plan. It’s not self-executing,” said Jennifer Li, director of the O’Neill Institute’s Center for Community Health Innovation at Georgetown Law and national coordinator of the Dignity 2026 Coalition, which is working with FIFA on human rights.
Adding to advocates’ unease, several US host committees said they couldn’t meet a March deadline for an early draft of their plans. A FIFA spokesperson said the governing body has been working closely with host cities and counties, which they say are on track to develop final action plans by the Aug. 29 deadline. Sixteen North American sites will host games, including 11 in the US
Human rights concerns in North America look different from those in other countries where FIFA has come under fire, which had few protections for workers and massive stadium and transportation construction projects. Migrant workers labored in Qatar’s scorching heat for more than a decade before the 2022 World Cup there, and human rights advocates worry migrant workers’ lives are again at risk in ����ֱ��, which will host the games in 2034.
FIFA’s suggestions for the 2026 plans include guidelines on nondiscrimination, security, preventing trafficking, protecting unhoused people and workers’ rights, including for migrant workers.
“The host communities are quite invested in their legacy, so they’ve stepped up,” said labor rights expert Deborah Greenfield, who is in an expert advisory group supporting FIFA’s human rights work for 2026.
Local tensions rise
US President Donald Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement across the country, stirring fears that federal law enforcement officers will arrest workers and even travelers during the games. Trump imposed a travel ban on 12 countries in June, and seven face restrictions.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has close ties to Trump. A FIFA spokesperson said it is working with a White House task force to “bring millions of people from different nations and communities” together in the US
Protesters in Miami-Dade County gathered outside FIFA’s offices in June to demand that the governing body protect travelers and workers and speak out against Trump’s immigration moves. That came after a Club World Cup event hosted in the area by Spanish-language TV network Telemundo was canceled after an unexpected Coast Guard inspection involving at least one Border Patrol agent, local outlets reported.
“There’s no guarantee that you might not have ICE posted up at the World Cup,” South Florida AFL-CIO President Jeff Mitchell said.
Local organizers don’t seem to have their human rights plan ready and haven’t agreed to meet with the union, Mitchell said. He noted that the region has a history of wage theft in a state with weak heat protection laws for workers.
“Organizations like FIFA like to say that they have these human rights efforts, but they aren’t pushing it,” Mitchell said. “They’re leaving it up to the locals to do it. What tends to happen is everybody gets their bag and then they turn a blind eye to making sure people are getting paid properly or not being harassed.”
Miami-Dade officials referred The Associated Press to the local host committee, which did not respond to requests for comment.
More than 9,000 unhoused people were arrested when Atlanta prepared to host the Olympics in 1996, and a plan to eliminate homelessness downtown before the World Cup worries advocates that unhoused people will be jailed again.
Atlanta officials and partners say the Downtown Rising plan is a part of the mayor’s larger investments in reducing homelessness and building affordable housing. The goal is to house people, not put them in jail, officials say.
In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on cities to ban encampments in May and offered money for mental health and substance use treatment. Cities with impending sporting events have ramped up enforcement, including San Jose, where unhoused people who reject three offers of shelter will now be eligible for arrest on trespassing charges. The mayor said the policy would encourage people to move inside.
“This panic rush to disappear visible signs of poverty is very concerning,” said Dr. Mark Spencer, an Atlanta hospital physician involved in local advocacy. “Politicians and the business community know that visible signs of poverty are unpopular, and that’s the driving force behind what is happening. It’s not about human rights in any meaningful way.”
Working to address standards
FIFA’s human rights policy published in 2017 mandates bidders for the men’s 2026 World Cup to respect “international human rights and labor standards according to the United Nations’ guiding principles.”
A group of international lawyers filed a formal complaint to FIFA in May claiming the soccer body is failing to uphold its human rights policy with 2034 World Cup host ����ֱ��.
In North America, Greenfield said FIFA is taking the goal of having a tournament “that respects and promotes human rights” seriously and she wouldn’t be participating in the effort if she didn’t think that was possible.
Candace Stanciel, Atlanta’s chief equity officer, said the city was committed to human rights work before FIFA came in and launched efforts to combat human trafficking in airports, hotels and public transport. Officials are working on potential language tools, accessibility measures for people with disabilities and an app to report issues including human rights abuses.
One of Seattle’s largest labor organizations and the city’s organizing committee signed a labor standards agreement last year. The International Labour Organization called FIFA’s human rights framework “an important step forward in harnessing the power of sport to advance decent work globally,” adding that it aligns with international labor standards.