The International Esports Federation (IESF) has unveiled its vision for a unified global esports governance system. The manifesto was presented by the organization's General Secretary, Boban Totovski, during a presentation at the Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum 2026, as part of a session dedicated to the impact of AI on the Olympic future.
According to the plan, the IESF aims to become the main governing body in esports, similar to FIFA in football or the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in traditional sports.
In its vision, the organization highlights three key roles it plans to assume:
The IESF is not the only organization vying for the status of the de facto governing body. In the past, similar attempts have been made by the Singapore-based Global Esports Federation (GEF), World Cyber Games, and the now-inactive WESA.
However, today, the IESF's main competitor is the Saudi Arabian Esports Federation (EF), which has previously collaborated with the IOC and is pursuing an aggressive push for control over the industry.
The IESF's declaration comes at a strategically opportune moment. The flagship international tournaments of the Saudi EF — the Esports World Cup (EWC) and the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) — have been in a state of turmoil over the past year due to the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf.
Despite the ambitious intentions or fortuitous timing of the statements, the IESF's manifesto currently bypasses the biggest obstacle on the path to global governance — game publishers and rights holders. To date, no company has completely handed over control of its esports to a third-party organization. To implement its masterplan, the IESF will first have to sit down at the negotiating table with this crucial bloc of the industry.
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