GeoGuessr joins the Esports World Cup lineup

GeoGuessr has become the latest title to join the Esports World Cup line-up.

The geography-based guessing game will host a Last Chance Wildcard tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in July.

Announced in an X (formerly Twitter) post on May 15th, 2025, GeoGuessr will feature as part of the Esports World Cup Festival, an event that runs alongside the esports tournaments, in Riyadh’s Boulevard City between July and August.

The Last Chance Wildcard Tournament forms part of GeoGuessr’s Wildcard Series, which runs throughout the 2025 season. Details on how players can participate in the tournament have yet to be revealed. The event offers players a final opportunity to qualify for the season-ending World Finals taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

GeoGuessr has continued to expand its esports offering in 2025. This year, three offline regional Majors will take place in Japan, the United States and Sweden. The Americas Major forms part of DreamHack Dallas, while the EMEA Major takes place at the inaugural Glitched LAN event from June 13th to 16th.

Following the announcement of the Last Chance Wildcard, the response from fans has been mostly negative, expressing frustration that GeoGuessr is choosing to participate in the Esports World Cup.

“Extremely disappointed about this, you people are sellouts. This is a slap in the face of your player base,” said one fan.

Although GeoGuessr won’t feature as part of the main Esports World Cup competition alongside 25 other titles, its involvement with the event has sparked frustration among fans.

The Esports World Cup Foundation, the organisers of the Esports World Cup, is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which has funded several sporting and entertainment events in the Kingdom.

Despite its aim to expand Saudi Arabia’s presence in other areas, its involvement in esports has continued to generate criticism from sections of the community. Discussions surrounding the Kingdom’s human rights record have remained as the country’s government looks to host a variety of international events.