IeSF (International eSports Federation) president Colin Webster says the organisation is ready to base its global operations in Dubai after meeting Dubai Sports Council chief Saeed Hareb.

Webster attended the DAIS (Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sports) Conference at Dubai World Trade Centre and met with Hareb to discuss the growth of esports in Dubai.

An MOU was signed and the pair issued a joint statement outlining the IeSF’s desire to move its global headquarters to Dubai and also promising to bring more world class esports events to the emirate.

“I have been to Dubai before and every time I return, I just get blown away by the incredible pace of development here. I am just stunned,” Webster said.

“It is an incredible city, with a great vibe and we would love to shift our global headquarters to Dubai. I believe Dubai can be the global hub of esports. We would love to bring our annual IeSF summit here next year, especially since it is the year of Expo 2020 here.

“We are looking forward to working alongside Dubai Sports Council and the local esports federation to launch new international competitions that will be held here in Dubai.

“We would love to organise something like esports Club World Cup here, at one of Dubai’s many mazing sports venues. To organise this tournament at a venue like, say, Hamdan Sports Complex would be just amazing.”

The UAE is one of 60 members of the IeSF, which also includes fellow MENA nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria.

Earlier this month Meydan One and Galaxy Racer Esports launched Dubai’s first-ever Interschool Esports Tournament, which will run from December 12-13 as part of the 2019 GIRLGAMER Esports festival.

And last year it was announced that Dubai planned to build the region’s first dedicated arena, the Dubai X-Stadium, though details of the project have yet to be confirmed.