International Esports Federation

The International Esports Federation (IESF) is a global organization based in South Korea whose mission it is to have esports recognized as a legitimate sport.
As of July 2024, there are 146 member states of the IESF, including:
The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports associations from Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In November of the same year, the organization held its inaugural general meeting.
A year later, on December 12, 2009, the IeSF hosted its first international tournaments. These tournaments included the "IeSF Challenge" in 2009, followed by the "IeSF Grand Finals" in 2010, and the "IeSF World Championship" starting from 2011 and onward.
In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.
On July 7, 2013, IeSF was chosen as the representative for the electronic sports discipline at the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, marking the first time esports had a presence in an Olympic event.
In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.
In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.
In November 2013, the IeSF hosted the IeSF 2013 World Championship and the 2013 General Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, a significant departure from their usual South Korea location.
In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by TAFISA and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.
In 2014, IeSF initially implemented gender-based restrictions in the Hearthstone tournament, but later amended its policy to merge the sections into open-for-all tournaments while still maintaining female-only tournaments with smaller prize pools.
During the 2015 World Championship, an esports panel was hosted with international sports society representatives to discuss the potential recognition of esports as a legitimate sporting activity worldwide.
The IeSF expanded further with the inclusion of new member federations, such as Colombia's Federación Colombiana de Deportes Electrónicos (FEDECOLDE), Kazakhstan's Qazaq Cybersport Federation (QCF), Turkey's Turkish Esports Federation (TESFED), and Ukraine's Federation of E-Sport of Ukraine (UESF), bringing the total member count to 60, spanning six continents.
In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.
In 2018, IESF voted to accept the United States Esports Federation (USEF) as a full member, establishing USEF as the officially recognized national governing body for esports in the United States.
In a bid to expand into the Middle East, the IeSF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE's Motivate Media Group, the parent company of "Gulf Business," as the esports community in the Middle East continued to grow, with over 300 million gamers in the region.
In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.
In 2024, the International Esports Federation received a record number of bids from over 30 cities across six continents to host the 2025 and 2026 World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. IESF is reviewing the bids based on criteria such as sustainability and inclusivity. General Secretary Boban Totovski noted the rapid growth of IESF events and the significant value they bring to host nations. The 2024 World Esports Championship took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, solidifying the city’s growing prominence as a key center for global esports.