Global esports organization
 Logo | |
 Member nations per April 2024 | |
| Abbreviation | IESF |
|---|---|
| Formation | August 11, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-08-11) |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Busan, South Korea |
| Official language | English |
| President | Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud |
| Main organ | General Assembly |
| Website | https://iesf.org |
The International Esports Federation (IESF) is a global organization based in South Korea whose mission it is to have esports recognized as a legitimate sport.
Members
As of July 2024, there are 146 member states of the IESF, including:
- Africa Electronic Sport Association (30)
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad
Congo
Djibouti
DR Congo
Egypt
Eswatini
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Libya
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Tunisia
Zimbabwe
- Pan American Electronic Sports Confederation (24)
Argentina
Bahamas
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Panama
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Chinese Taipei
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Macau
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor Leste
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
- European Esports Federation (47)
Albania
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland- France
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
Wales
- Oceania (3)
History
The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports associations from Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In November of the same year, the organization held its inaugural general meeting.
A year later, on December 12, 2009, the IeSF hosted its first international tournaments. These tournaments included the "IeSF Challenge" in 2009, followed by the "IeSF Grand Finals" in 2010, and the "IeSF World Championship" starting from 2011 and onward.
In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.
On July 7, 2013, IeSF was chosen as the representative for the electronic sports discipline at the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, marking the first time esports had a presence in an Olympic event.
In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.
In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.
In November 2013, the IeSF hosted the IeSF 2013 World Championship and the 2013 General Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, a significant departure from their usual South Korea location.
In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by TAFISA and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.
In 2014, IeSF initially implemented gender-based restrictions in the Hearthstone tournament, but later amended its policy to merge the sections into open-for-all tournaments while still maintaining female-only tournaments with smaller prize pools.
During the 2015 World Championship, an esports panel was hosted with international sports society representatives to discuss the potential recognition of esports as a legitimate sporting activity worldwide.
The IeSF expanded further with the inclusion of new member federations, such as Colombia's Federación Colombiana de Deportes Electrónicos (FEDECOLDE), Kazakhstan's Qazaq Cybersport Federation (QCF), Turkey's Turkish Esports Federation (TESFED), and Ukraine's Federation of E-Sport of Ukraine (UESF), bringing the total member count to 60, spanning six continents.
In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.
In 2018, IESF voted to accept the United States Esports Federation (USEF) as a full member, establishing USEF as the officially recognized national governing body for esports in the United States.
In a bid to expand into the Middle East, the IeSF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE's Motivate Media Group, the parent company of "Gulf Business," as the esports community in the Middle East continued to grow, with over 300 million gamers in the region.
In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.
In 2024, the International Esports Federation received a record number of bids from over 30 cities across six continents to host the 2025 and 2026 World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. IESF is reviewing the bids based on criteria such as sustainability and inclusivity. General Secretary Boban Totovski noted the rapid growth of IESF events and the significant value they bring to host nations. The 2024 World Esports Championship is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, solidifying the city’s growing prominence as a key center for global esports.
World Esports Championships
References
- "Members of IESF". iesf.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- esports news
- leSF. "IeSF". Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- leSF. "media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] Updates on 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games and IeSF 2013 Asia Conference". Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- "Anti-Doping Community". World Anti-Doping Agency. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- leSF. "media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] IeSF submitted its membership application to "Sport Accord"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- "IeSF, 국제체육기구 가맹 "e스포츠도 생활체육"". May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- Jenna Pitcher (July 3, 2014). "Previously male-only Hearthstone competition now open to all genders". Polygon. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- [2015 IESF] e-Sports Summit with International Sports Society -EsportsTV. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Zalik, Dejan (June 23, 2016). "International e-Sports Federation Launches Initiative To Bring Esports To The Olympics". EsportsBets.com.
- "Grow uP eSports". growupesports.com.
- Mackay, D. (August 12, 2019). "International eSports Federation Accepts United States as Latest Member". The Sports Digest.
- Mansoor, Zainab (November 14, 2019). "International Esports Federation to expand into the Middle East". GulfBusiness.com.
- Nordland, Jake (October 3, 2023). "IESF appoints Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal as President". Esports Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- Shaw, Justin (October 7, 2024). "IESF Receives Record Number of Bids for 2025 and 2026 Events". SportsTravel. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- "8th E-Sports World Championships to Be Held in Jakarta, Indonesia - Esports by Inquirer.net". March 18, 2016.
- "TEKKEN 7 Announces as Game Title for 10th Esports World Championship -". March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- "85 countries will play at the IESF's 13th Esports World Championship". May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- "Six games to return for IESF World Championships in Romania". April 7, 2023.
- "Claim your rewards: $1.000.000 Prize Pool for WEC24 Revealed". March 14, 2024.
