JEDDAH: The second edition of World Football Summit Asia will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the 12th-13th of December, bringing together key decision-makers from the global football industry and expecting over 1,500 attendees.
World Football Summit has partnered with Saudi Conglomerate Aljan & Bros and its event subsidiary SAT Events to host the next five editions of the Asian summit in Riyadh, showcasing the Kingdom’s growing prominence as a global sports powerhouse.
Scheduled with the backdrop of the FIFA Club World Cup, the second edition of WFS Asia aims to bring together over 1,500 representatives and stakeholders from the football ecosystem. The event will feature 130+ speakers, with 70% of attendees being decision-makers from leading football properties and sports businesses.
Some of the top speakers who will participate in the event include:
• Ornella Desiree Bellia – director of Professional Football Relations & Development, FIFA
• Kalyan Chaubey – president, All India Football Federation
• Iris Córdoba – general manager, GSIC powered by Microsoft
• Tony Douglas – CEO, Riyadh Air
• Romeo Jozak – Technical director Future Falcons, SAFF
• Shay Segev – CEO, DAZN
• Alwaleed Almuhaideb – head of Media, Al Nassr FC
• Peter Hutton – Board director, Roshn Saudi League
• Anmol Malhotra – Global head of Sports Partnerships, Snap Inc.
• Marcos Motta – partner, Bichara e Motta Advogados
• Ralf Reichart – CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation
• Muhammad Yunus – Peace Nobel Laureate & co-founder of Yunus Sports Hub
Ajlan Bin Abdulaziz Alajlan, chairman of Ajlan & Bros, made the following reference to the potential for WFS Asia: “Bringing an event like World Football Summit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia perfectly aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. We firmly believe in the power of sport to unite people from all corners of the globe and forge valuable commercial partnerships.”
The decision to host WFS Asia in Saudi Arabia highlights the country’s growing prominence as a global sports powerhouse. The Kingdom has already secured the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and FIFA Club World Cup and has attracted top talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Leroy Sané. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is the sole contender for hosting the 2034 Men’s FIFA World Cup.
Alongside football, the nation has made significant strides in other sports, including LIV, eSports, for which they will start hosting an annual eSports World Cup in 2024, and more.
WFS Asia is garnering the support of the Saudi Ministry of Sports, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the Saudi Professional League, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). WFS Asia aims to bring together all key stakeholders to foster growth and collaboration in the football industry with the mission of establishing the summit as an annual fixture on the global football calendar.
Since its inception in 2016, WFS has successfully attracted over 24,000 attendees across 18 events and has built a global community of 100,000+ sports industry executives throughout its platforms. Top names in the industry, including Gianni Infantino, Fatma Samoura, Ronaldo Nazario, Samuel Eto’o, Peter Moore, and Cindy Parlow-Cone have participated, showcasing the event’s significance in the global football landscape.
“Given Saudi Arabia’s aspiration to establish itself as a leading force in global sports, it made perfect sense for World Football Summit to organize an event here, connecting key regional football stakeholders with their international counterparts.” said Jan Alessie, co-founder and director of World Football Summit.
