Signed at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, this is a world-first collaboration between a luxury tourism developer and a leading esports organization
Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, today announced a landmark three-year sponsorship of T1 Entertainment & Sports (T1), a leading global esports organization.
Signed at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, the sponsorship deal represents the first time a tourism developer has partnered with a global esports brand on this scale. The partnership is brokered by CAA Sports, T1’s exclusive commercial agent.
T1 is a South Korean team renowned for its dominance of esports. It has won a series of prestigious gaming crowns, including the inaugural League of Legends title at the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh and boasts an elite squad led by the iconic player and five-time League of Legends World Champion, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok. The team also competes in popular games such as VALORANT, Tekken 8, EAFC Online and Overwatch 2, with an enviable track record.
“Esports is an exciting and growing area, boasting millions of fans worldwide, including in Saudi Arabia. Not only does this partnership give us a powerful platform to connect with new demographics across new geographies but aligns our brand with an organization known for its relentless focus on innovation, excellence and pushing boundaries,” said Raed Albasseet, Group Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer at RSG.
It is estimated that the audience for esports globally will reach 640.8 million fans this year. That includes 318.1 million dedicated fans and 322.7 million occasional viewers. RSG’s logo will be featured on the front of T1’s official team uniform and will become the presenting sponsor for T1’s YouTube content, which boats 1.56M subscribers, for major competitions and international tournaments. The agreement supports the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a global hub for sports, entertainment, and innovation.
Josh Ahn, COO, T1 Entertainment & Sports, said: “Just as we at T1 strive for mastery in competitive gaming, RSG is setting new global standards in luxury hospitality and regenerative tourism. We will seek to bring to life a shared ethos of excellence, precision, and performance. Together, we look forward to creating unique experiences that will resonate with our global fanbase.”
The Red Sea destination welcomed its first guests in 2023. It now has five resorts open, as well as the Red Sea International Airport (RSI), which is situated within three hours’ flying time of 250 million people and eight hours’ flying time for 85% of the world’s population. Another 11 hotels will launch over the coming months.
AMAALA is set to welcome its first guests later this year with the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s most comprehensive health and wellness destination. Launching with 1,470 hotel keys across eight luxury resorts, it will welcome some of the most renowned wellness operators globally, offering a wide array of programs tailored to diverse lifestyles and well-being needs.
A third destination, Thuwal Private Retreat, opened in 2024.
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About Red Sea Global
Red Sea Global (RSG) is a vertically integrated real estate developer with a diverse portfolio across tourism, residential, experiences, infrastructure, transport, healthcare, and services. This includes the luxury regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea, which began welcoming guests in 2023, and AMAALA, which remains on track to welcome first guests in 2025.
A third destination, Thuwal Private Retreat, opened in 2024, and RSG has also been entrusted with refurbishment works at Al Wajh Airport, focused on upgrading the existing terminal and infrastructure, and building a new international terminal.
RSG is a PIF company and a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to diversify its economy. Across its growing portfolio of destinations, subsidiaries, and businesses, RSG seeks to lead the world towards a more sustainable future, showing how responsible development can uplift communities, drive economies, and enhance the environment.
About T1 Entertainment & Sports
T1 Entertainment & Sports is a global esports joint venture that owns and operates the ultra-successful T1 League of Legends (LoL) Champions Korea (LCK) team, along with teams in competitive gaming segments that include Valorant, Overwatch 2, PUBG, FC ONLINE, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8. Building upon the rich legacy of SKT T1, T1 will expand its teams globally, celebrate new victories, and create even more opportunities for fans to embrace T1’s gaming culture, content, and players in every corner of the world.
About CAA Sports
The six-time recipient of the award for “Best in Talent Representation and Management,” presented by the Sports Business Journal, CAA Sports represents more than 3,000 of the world’s best athletes in such sports as baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and soccer, in addition to coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities. Beyond traditional athlete representation, CAA Sports provides unique opportunities for clients off the field, in areas including entertainment, licensing, endorsements, speaking, philanthropy, publishing, and video games. CAA Sports also works in the areas of media rights, property sales and sponsorships, brand consulting, venue development and strategic advisory, and executive search, and received the award for “Best in Corporate Consulting” at the 2018 Sports Business Awards, and “Best in Property Consulting, Sales, and Client Service” in 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
CAA Sports is a division of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is the leading entertainment and sports agency, with global expertise in filmed and live entertainment, digital media, publishing, sponsorship sales and endorsements, media finance, consumer investing, fashion, brand management and consumer product licensing, executive search, and philanthropy. Distinguished by its culture of collaboration and exceptional client service, CAA’s diverse workforce identifies, innovates, and amplifies opportunities for the people and organizations that shape culture and inspire the world. For more information about CAA Sports, visit www.caa.com.
Contact details:
For more information, please contact:
Reem Aljbreen, Senior Manager – Public Relations
