Israel to host first-ever Abraham Accords Esports Peace Games

A first-of-its-kind gaming tournament in the spirit of the Abraham Accords will be held in Israel in January, the United States Embassy in Israel announced on Wednesday.

The "esports" competition in Israel's central city of Tel Aviv will include participants from the Jewish state, the U.S. and across the Middle East - including special guests and leading gamers.

Organizers announced plans to include up to 10 countries in this inaugural Abraham Accords Esports Peace Games - at a production cost of $1.5 million - hoping to expand and grow the competition in future years.  A prize fund of $82,000 will be distributed among the winners, competing either individually or as teams, with the possibility of attracting mass sponsorship opportunities. 

"The Abraham Accords are critical to the region’s stability and prosperity. The Biden Administration sees its job as taking the Accords from a start-up to a real operation," said U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, who is serving as co-chair of the games. "And one of the most important mechanisms to accomplish that is building people-to-people connections – the more people understand one another, the easier it is to resolve issues. Especially among young people."

"This Esports tournament – the first of its kind – is one of many joint cultural activities being organized around the Accords, connecting with the region’s youth to make sure the Accords are substantiable."

Esports is a growing global phenomenon that attracts an audience as large as 400 million worldwide, according to industry statistics.