Sheraa spotlights region’s top young gamers as hosts of Amazon UNIVERSITY Esports Masters MENA Series finals

• Najla Al Midfa: Sheraa will continue to foster creative thinking in its community-driven spaces to fuel the UAE’s and the Arab region’s creative economy.

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)’s vibrant, youth-driven space – the Sheraa Hub at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) – served as the backdrop for the final battle of the region’s most prestigious university e-gaming tournament, the Amazon UNIVERSITY Esports Masters MENA Series, recently.

Driving Sharjah’s ambition to promote the UAE’s and the MENA region’s tech creative industries and propel the nation’s knowledge economy forward with successive generations of critical thinkers and innovators, the event was supported by Sheraa in line with its own vision to promote critical thinking and experiential learning.

Fiercely contested by 300 collectively formed teams of 3,500 students from more than 90 universities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Egypt, the second edition of the MENA series has been won by gamers from Saudi Arabia, concluding the championship’s first-ever run that was open to the public to attend in person, and live streamed globally in two languages, Arabic and English.

In the final play-offs, university gamers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Egypt went head to head, with the Saudi team from the Nasr Academy winning VALORANT, and their fellow compatriots, team WinnersQ, asserted their dominance in League of Legends.

The atmosphere at Sheraa Hub was electrifying with a range of experiential spaces set up by the event’s sponsors HP Victus, Shahid and STC play, for gaming fans who attended the event. Many top personalities from the gaming industry and the entertainment ecosystem also attended to engage with and inspire the young attendees.

Commenting on the championship, Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, said: “This competition redefines simple gaming by integrating the recreational and competitive aspects within key contexts of education, innovation and critical thinking. Sheraa has always endeavoured to nurture excellence in young people by offering them training platforms that meet their aspirations. And what better than enabling them to let their competitive and creative spirits reign free in this prestigious regional challenge like this”.

“In a world being increasingly shaped and driven by technology, gaming is no longer just a game. It is now a platform for problem-solving, collaboration, innovation and creativity, where healthy competition amongst talented young individuals is also producing some incredible, future-focused solutions for real-world challenges. The online gaming industry could be worth $321 billion by 2026, and we want talent in our region to be amongst the drivers of this growth. Sheraa has been a proud partner of MENATech to co-host this competition, and will continue to foster creative thinking in its community-driven spaces like the Sheraa Hub to fuel the development of the UAE’s and the Arab region’s creative economy,” she added.

For his part, Mario Pérez, CEO of MENATech, commented: “Sheraa’s decision to host this event provided university students with a unique opportunity to convene, compete, acquire knowledge, relish the experience, and exhibit their aptitude before a discerning audience while engaging with enthusiastic fans. This undertaking distinctly reinforces our collective dedication to fostering the educational landscape, providing training opportunities, nurturing capabilities and skill development of aspiring students.”