Two of Brazil’s greatest ever footballers are coming to the Esports World Cup in Kaká and Ronaldo Nazário.
The two former Ballon d’Or winners are swapping football boots for controllers as they’ll compete against each other in a celebrity showmatch.
This comes as part of a football-filled weekend in Riyadh, which will include the EA FC 25 FC Pro World Championships.
The tournament is currently ongoing with reigning world champion Anders ‘Vejrgang’ Vejrgang the favourite on esports betting sites.
Kaká and Ronaldo will play EA FC 25 as well, facing off against each other in a best-of-three on Saturday, August 9th.
This isn’t the first time that either has attended an esports event.
Kaká was a guest at eChampions League 2023 finals and even tried esports commentating with Ruud Gullit.
And Ronaldo was in attendance at the League of Legends 2017 MSI finals, handing the winners medals to SKT T1.
There was also a celebrity showmatch at last year’s Esports World Cup, which featured another Brazilian football legend in Neymar.
Neymar took on Team Falcons’ founder Mossad ‘Msdossary’ Aldossary across three different esports titles.
They played each other in Tekken 8, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2 – a personal favourite of Neymar.
Though Neymar may not appear in the next EA FC, as EA Sports are still in talks to bring the Brazilian clubs to EA FC 26
And there is even more football crossover with this year’s event as the other Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, is now an Esport World Cup ambassador.
Speaking of Kaká and (Brazilian) Ronaldo attending the tournament, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation Mike McCabe said:
“Ronaldo and Kaká embody competitive excellence and legacy, drawing passionate support from fans around the world – everything great sport aspires to achieve.
“Their presence at the Esports World Cup reflects values that connect traditional sport and gaming, showing how those worlds are coming together in ways that truly resonate with fans.
“Bringing together legends who inspire multiple generations and communities is what makes this Showmatch truly special. We’re honoured to have them with us on this stage, especially during football week.”
Another celebrity guest at this year’s Esports World Cup was Post Malone, who headlined the event’s opening ceremony.
However, many criticise the Esports World Cup as a “esports washing” exercise for Saudi Arabia.
The country has a troubling human rights record, especially around LGBTQ+ people, which can be found on amnesty.org.
Many claim that the Esports World Cup is used as a distraction from this history and to imrpove Saudi Arabia’s reputation.
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.