Global Esports Federation


The Global Esports Federation is a non-governmental organization that convenes the world's esports community. It was established on December 16, 2019, and is headquartered in Singapore, where it is a registered society under the Singapore Registry of Societies.
The GEF consists of 180 Member Federations and four continental Esports Development Federations. As of January 2025, there are 10 Commissions and two Councils that guide the work of the federation. The founding President of the GEF was Chris Chan of Singapore. As of September 2025, Paul J. Foster, KStJH, who also serves as CEO, was formally elected President, having previously assumed the role of President ad interim following Chan's resignation in July 2025.
The organization's flagship event is the annual Global Esports Games, held since 2021. The GEG is a multi-title esports competition featuring athletes from Member Federations that takes place in December every year. The GEF also organizes the Global Esports Tour and supports its Member Federations in hosting local esports competitions and regional qualifying events.

History

The GEF was launched on December 16, 2019 with Chris Chan appointed as its founding President. The Board currently consists of a President, six Vice-Presidents, and 15 Board Members. The GEF appointed its first Chief Executive Officer, Sir Paul J. Foster, in March 2021. Chan was re-elected as President of GEF in 2023 for a second four-year term. On 23 July 2025, following Chan's resignation, Foster was elected President ad interim by the GEF Executive Committee, and formally elected President at its Board Meeting in September 2025. Aurelia Ruetsch has served as Secretary General of the Global Esports Federation since 14 January 2026, becoming the first woman to hold the position at the global level.
The GEF organizes two main events: the Global Esports Games and the Global Esports Tour. The inaugural Global Esports Games were staged in Singapore in December 2021, followed by the second edition in Istanbul, Turkey in 2022 and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2023. The first season of the Global Esports Tour was staged in 2021, beginning in Los Angeles in September. Both the GEG and GET are held on an annual basis.

Member Federations

As of August 2025, there are 180 Member Federations in the GEF:
;Africa
;Oceania

Development Federations

In September 2021, the GEF announced the creation of two Esports Development Federations: the Africa Esports Development Federation and the Pan Am Esports Development Federation.
In 2023, the Oceania and Europe Esports Development Federations were formed to continue the support of sustainable development of esports communities throughout the world.

Events

Global Esports Games

The Global Esports Games is a multi-title esports competition featuring athletes from Member Federations that takes place in December every year.
In May 2021, the GEF announced the host cities for the first three editions of the GEG. The inaugural GEG took place in Singapore in 2021, followed by Istanbul in 2022 and Riyadh in 2023. The 2023 edition was the largest held to date, with 950 athletes competing from more than 100 countries. Global Esports Games 2025 will take place in Mumbai in February 2026 and the 2026 edition will be held in Los Angeles in December 2026.
A variety of esports titles have been contested at the Global Esports Games, including: Valve’s Dota 2, Konami’s eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, eFootball 2023 and eFootball 2024, Capcom’s Street Fighter V and Street Fighter 6, as well as Krafton's PUBG Mobile.
Competition categories include Open and Women, with the Open category allowing both men and women to compete together.

Editions

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LocationDatesEvent nameTitlesCategoryChampionPlayers

Global Esports Tour

The Global Esports Tour is a series of tournaments for professional esports athletes and teams.
In September 2021, the GEF announced the first series of the GET, with each stage showcasing a different esports title. The first edition of the GET had a total prize pool of US$500,000.
In 2022, the second season of the GET was held over two stages in the cities of Dubai and Riyadh. Dubai staged a CS:GO tournament from June 10–11. Riyadh held a Street Fighter V - Champion Edition tournament from July 25–27 during the annual Gamers8 festival.
In 2023, the third season of the GET was staged in Riyadh from August 26–27 during Gamers8 festival. Participating pro athletes competed for a US$50,000 prize pool in eFootball 2023.
In 2024, Season 4 of the Global Esports Tour headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a Counter-Strike 2 tournament from April 18–21.
In 2025, Season 5 of the Global Esports Tour announced cities including Mumbai, India, and Lima, Peru, for the first time.

Marquee Events

Beginning in 2021, the Global Esports Federation began hosting esports championships at regional and continental Games. The first marquee event, named the Commonwealth Esports Championships, was held at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The South American Esports Championships was held in collaboration with the South American Sports Organization at the Asuncion 2022 South American Games. The 2023 European Games Esports Championships was held alongside the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games with support from the European Olympic Committees. The 2023 Pan American Esports Championships was held in Santiago, Chile in parallel with the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in collaboration with Panam Sports.

Partners

Tencent is a Founding Global Partner of the GEF. The federation also has a list of other strategic partners including an agreement signed with Amazon MGM Studios in January 2024, as well as with the International Telecommunication Union, Peace and Sport and UNESCO, among others. The federation announced a partnership with the Los Angeles Times Media Group.
The GEF also has several key partners within the Olympic Movement, including the Commonwealth Games Federation, Pan American Sports Organization, Olympic Council of Asia, European Olympic Committees, South American Sports Organization, and Centro Caribe Sports.