International Esports Federation

Global esports organization

International Esports Federation

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

[edit]

As of July 2024, there are 146 member states of the IESF, including:[1]

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

Asian Electronic Sports Federation (42)

* 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)

* Australia
* Guam
* New Zealand

## History

[edit]

The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.[5]

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.[6]

In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.[7]

In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.[8]

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.[citation needed]

In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by the Trim and Fitness International Sport for All Association (TAFISA) and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.[16]

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 took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[17]

### World Esports Championships

[edit]

Year | Title | Location | Esports titles  | Note

|
|
|
|

2009 | IeSF 2009 Challenge |  Taebaek | FIFA Online, Warcraft3, A.V.A | [18]
2010 | IeSF Grand Final |  Daegu | FIFA Online, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne | [19]
2011 | IeSF World Championship |  Andong | StarCraft II, FIFA Online | [20]
2012 | IeSF World Championship |  Cheonan | Alliance of Valiant Arms, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | [21]
2013 | IeSF World Championship |  Bucharest | League of Legends, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Alliance of Valiant Arms | [22]
2014 | Esports World Championship 2014 |  Baku | Dota 2, Hearthstone, Ultra Street Fighter IV, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | [23]
2015 | Esports World Championship 2015 |  Seoul | League of Legends, StarCraft II, Hearthstone | [24]
2016 | Esports World Championship 2016 |  Jakarta[25] | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Hearthstone | [26]
2017 | Esports World Championship 2017 |  Busan | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken 7 | [27]
2018 | Esports World Championship 2018 |  Kaohsiung | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken 7[28] | [29]
2019 | Esports World Championship 2019 |  Seoul | Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 | [30]
2020 | Esports World Championship 2020 |  Eilat | Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 | [31]
2021 | Esports World Championship 2021 |  Eilat[32] | Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tekken 7, eFootball | [33]
2022 | World Esports Championship 2022 |  Bali | Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | [34]
2023 | World Esports Championship 2023 |  Iași[35] | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | [36]
2024 | World Esports Championship 2024 |  Riyadh[37] | Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | [38]

## See also

[edit]

* Global Esports Federation

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Members of IESF". iesf.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
2. ^ "세계 최초 '국제e스포츠연맹' 발족". sports.naver (in Korean). August 11, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
3. ^ "김신배 SKT사장 국제e스포츠연맹 초대 회장 선출". 파이낸셜 뉴스 (in Korean). November 13, 2008.
4. ^ leSF. "IeSF". Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
5. ^ "[Interview] Female Tekken Champion of IeSF 2012 WC Sofia Degay". iesf. November 12, 2012.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ "Anti-Doping Community". World Anti-Doping Agency. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ "IeSF, 국제체육기구 가맹 "e스포츠도 생활체육"". May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
10. ^ Jenna Pitcher (July 3, 2014). "Previously male-only Hearthstone competition now open to all genders". Polygon. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
11. ^ [2015 IESF] e-Sports Summit with International Sports Society -EsportsTV. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
12. ^ "Macau impresses in international eSports debut". World Gaming Magazine. October 14, 2016.
13. ^ Mackay, D. (August 12, 2019). "International eSports Federation Accepts United States as Latest Member". The Sports Digest.
14. ^ Mansoor, Zainab (November 14, 2019). "International Esports Federation to expand into the Middle East". GulfBusiness.com.
15. ^ "Four new nations join IESF". March 25, 2020.
16. ^ Nordland, Jake (October 3, 2023). "IESF appoints Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal as President". Esports Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
17. ^ Shaw, Justin (October 7, 2024). "IESF Receives Record Number of Bids for 2025 and 2026 Events". SportsTravel. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
18. ^ "2009 IeSF Challenge Began, "Full of Attractions"". December 27, 2009.
19. ^ "IeSF 2010 그랜드 파이널 개최 도시 대구시". June 6, 2010.
20. ^ "IeSF 2011 월드 챔피언십 개최 도시". April 19, 2011.
21. ^ "[IeSF 뉴스] IeSF 2012 월드 챔피언십 세부 정보". September 18, 2012.
22. ^ "루마니아는 IeSF 2013 월드 챔피언십을 개최합니다". September 23, 2013.
23. ^ "IeSF Board has made decision to make their event "Open for All"". July 2, 2014.
24. ^ "The 7th e-Sports World Championship is held in Seoul, South Korea". August 26, 2015.
25. ^ "8th E-Sports World Championships to Be Held in Jakarta, Indonesia - Esports by Inquirer.net". March 18, 2016.
26. ^ "The 8th e-Sports WC 2016 will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia". March 15, 2016.
27. ^ "The 9th Esports World Championship is going to Busan, Korea for 2017". April 6, 2017.
28. ^ "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.
29. ^ "Prize Money Announcement IESF Esports World Championships 2018". August 21, 2018.
30. ^ "Seoul, to be host city for 11th Esports World Championships". February 25, 2019.
31. ^ "IESF EILAT 2020 World Championships Concludes After Online Competition". January 2, 2021.
32. ^ "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.
33. ^ "The Israeli Esports Championship 2021 gets underway". August 9, 2021.
34. ^ "Bali Confirmed as Host of the 2022 WE Championships Finals". January 28, 2022.
35. ^ "Six games to return for IESF World Championships in Romania". April 7, 2023.
36. ^ "IESF Announces Official Game Titles for 2023 World Esports Championship". April 7, 2023.
37. ^ "Claim your rewards: $1.000.000 Prize Pool for WEC24 Revealed". March 14, 2024.
38. ^ "Welcome to the World Esports Championship 2024!". November 11, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* International Esports Federation

* v
* t
* e

Esports and competitive video gaming

* Games
* Leagues and tournaments
* Players
* Cheating
* Betting

Fighting|

* Capcom Cup
* CEO
* Evolution Championship Series
* Killer Instinct World Cup
* Super Smash Bros.
* Apex
* The Big House
* Genesis
* Smash World Tour
* Super Smash Con

MOBA|

* Dota 2
* Pro Circuit
* The International
* League of Legends
* World Championship
* Mid-Season Invitational
* First Stand
* Champions Korea
* Championship Pacific
* Championship of The Americas
* EMEA Championship
* Pro League
* Pacific Championship Series
* Vietnam Championship Series
* other
* Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
* Mid Season Cup
* World Championship
* Smite World Championship

Real-time strategy|

* StarCraft
* StarCraft II
* Global League
* Warcraft III
* championships

Shooter|

* Apex Legends Global Series
* Call of Duty
* Championship
* League
* Counter-Strike
* BLAST Premier
* ESL Pro League
* Flashpoint
* Majors
* Fortnite World Cup
* Overwatch
* Apex
* Champions Series
* Contenders
* League
* World Cup
* QuakeCon
* Six Invitational
* Valorant Champions Tour
* PUBG Mobile

Sports|

* eFootball.Open
* eSailing
* Inshore Worlds
* Offshore (Virtual Vendee)
* Gran Turismo World Series
* FIFAe World Cup
* FIFAe Nations Cup
* Formula One Esports Series
* Formula E: Accelerate
* iRacing
* eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series
* eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
* EuroNASCAR Esports Series
* INDYCAR iRacing Challenge
* NBA 2K League
* Rocket League Championship Series
* eRacing
* 2017 Vegas eRace

Other genres|

* Classic Tetris World Championship
* Hearthstone
* Pokémon
* World Championships

Multi-genre|

* Asian Games
* Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
* Commonwealth Esports Championships
* DreamHack
* ELeague
* ESEA League
* ESL
* Intel Extreme Masters
* Esports World Convention
* Esports World Cup
* Major League Gaming
* list of National Championships
* Nintendo World Championships
* Campus Challenge
* Olympic Esports Series
* Southeast Asian Games
* Twin Galaxies
* World Cyber Games
* World Electronic Sports Games
* World Series of Video Games

Governing bodies|

* Amazon University Esports
* Armenian Esports Federation
* Asian Electronic Sports Federation
* Bangladesh Youth Development and Electronic Sports Association
* British Esports
* Esports Integrity Commission
* Esports World Federation
* Global Esports Federation
* International Esports Federation
* Korea e-Sports Association
* National Association of Collegiate Esports
* Professional Esports Association
* Saudi Esports Federation
* Tespa
* Thailand E-Sports Federation
* Russian eSports Federation
* World Esports Association

Defunct organizations|

* Championship Gaming Series
* Cyberathlete Professional League
* eGames
* G7 Teams
* MBCGame StarCraft League
* Ongamenet Starleague
* Professional Gamers League
* Tougeki – Super Battle Opera
* United Kingdom eSports Association
* World e-Sports Games
* World League eSport Bundesliga
* XLEAGUE.TV

By country|

* Philippines
* United Arab Emirates

Years|

* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* Category

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