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RIYADH: Swiss football sensation Alisha Lehmann, known for her electrifying presence on the pitch and her massive social media following, has made a visit to the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Lehmann’s journey into the world’s biggest celebration of esports and gaming culture revealed a world that both surprised and resonated deeply with the superstar professional athlete.

Her first taste of the Esports World Cup 2025 was the highly competitive League of Legends final, an experience that left a lasting impression. “I was able to watch the League of Legends final and I was surprised by the atmosphere and passion in the arena,” she said.

“I enjoyed the crowds’ reaction to a tight game; it was a great experience. The stadium is full, there are so many people cheering for the players and you can see how much effort the players put in to get where they are now. It’s amazing. I would tell everyone to come here to experience it and enjoy it.”

This immediate connection to the energy of esports fans highlighted a striking parallel to the intensity she knows well from her experience performing in the world’s leading football stadiums and deepened her appreciation for esports.

The parallels between her world on the football pitch and the virtual battlegrounds of esports are evident to Lehmann. “I started playing from six years old. It doesn’t matter if it’s a racing game or a football game, the experiences are linked because we grow up with the same mindset and we want to win.”

When not on the football pitch, Lehmann likes to play Fortnite and appreciates the innate talent of young gamers, noting how young people possess skills that were unimaginable when she was their age.

“All children and young kids love to play games,” she says. “Sometimes I’ve noticed when I’m playing Fortnite that there are kids that are like 10 years old, and I’m watching them and I’m amazed.

“I think esports is growing every year now. Everyone is watching it, the technology is constantly improving and the games are getting better, I feel that it’s becoming really big.”

As esports continue to grow and connect with a global audience, Lehmann firmly believes that esports will continue to expand its global appeal and become mainstream entertainment for fans around the world.

“I think esports will catch up with traditional sports for sure. Because the technology is constantly evolving and the whole industry is really cool,” she said.

“It’s amazing. I think you can also learn a lot. I know kids in Switzerland who speak English now because they play Fortnite and watch streamers. It’s great to see.”

The growth of women’s participation in both football and esports is a topic close to Lehmann’s heart. Witnessing Team Vitality win the MLBB Women’s Invitational tournament at the Esports World Cup 2025 filled her with pride, and she hopes that female participation in esports and sports continues to thrive.

“I think it’s so good that we push women to compete at the highest levels of sport,” she said. “It’s essential because they are as important as the men and we want to see them shine too.”

When asked to create the line-up for her dream EA Sports FC team, Lehmann was keen to select a starting eleven that represented elite talent from women’s and men’s football.

“Of course I would take Hannah Hampton as a goalkeeper, she’s been amazing in the Euros, I played with her and she does really well,” Lehmann said. “For right back, I’ll take Trent Alexander-Arnold. For center back, I’m going to take Millie Bright and Leah Williamson. For left back, Lucas Hernandez. In midfield, my number 6 would be Alexia Putellas, then Jude Bellingham, and Lionel Messi. Up front it would be Killian Mbappe on the right, Erling Haaland as striker, and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.”

Gathering the world’s elite players under one competitive banner, the EA Sports FC Pro 25 World Championship tournament is underway at the Esports World Cup 2025 from Aug. 7-10.

More details and tickets, including access to all tournament days and festival experiences, are available at esportsworldcup.com. 

Esports World Cup 2025 concludes with the New Global Sport Conference, the leading B2B platform for decision-makers across gaming, esports, sport and entertainment. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh from Aug. 23-24, NGSC 2025 aims to foster dialogue, drive collaboration and shape the future of competitive entertainment.

DUBAI: Early on Saturday, as temperatures soared outside, a sprawling shopping center in Dubai echoed to the squeak of sneakers as hundreds of people joined “Mallathon” — an indoor, air-conditioned race.
The government-backed initiative aims to encourage exercise during August, often the United Arab Emirates’ hottest month, and make use of Dubai’s giant malls which are otherwise empty at that time.
Running outside during summer in the Gulf, one of the world’s hottest regions where temperatures sometimes top 50C, is unpleasant and even unsafe for many.
“If you run outside, it’s not healthy at all because temperatures are around 40C to 50C,” said one runner who gave his name as Rai, his platinum-blond hair pulled back with a headband.
Participants wearing “Dubai Mallathon” T-shirts and sports gear ran and walked past closed stores along vacant, marbled halls that were set to be teeming with shoppers hours later.
Throughout August, nine of the city’s shopping centers — including the cavernous Dubai Mall, one of the world’s biggest — are open daily for runners and walkers from 7am-10am.
On weekends, runners can enter organized 10km, 5km or 2.5km races at designated malls, complete with podium presentations and prizes.
During Saturday’s race at the City Center Mirdif mall, two robots buzzed around the participants, who paused to take selfies with them.
Others waited in line to use electric bikes that powered blenders to make healthy smoothies.
Mallathon is backed by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 42, whose public profile projects him as an exemplar of active living.
It is one of a number of attempts to steer Dubai’s car-loving, mall-rat population toward exercise, including the 30x30 challenge, where residents are encouraged to exercise 30 minutes a day for a month.
Obesity rates in the energy-rich Gulf country regularly top global charts.
A study published by The Lancet in March predicted a staggering 94 percent of UAE males would be overweight or obese by 2050 — the highest in the world.
Partly to blame is the furnace-like heat that ravages the region for several months a year, and is steadily growing more intense.
The UAE had its hottest April on record this year, and then breached its May high two days in a row. On August 1, temperatures reached 51.8C, just shy of the national record of 52C.
Menna, a 36-year-old Egyptian who has lived in Dubai for 15 years, said there was “no way” she would exercise outside in the summer.
But in the mall, “we have air-conditioning, first aid, water... there’s everything that you need.”
“It motivates you more when other people are doing it too,” she added.
Fouzeya Faridoon, head of social activities at Dubai Sports Council, said more than 500 people had signed up for Saturday’s event, which was free.
“The idea is to encourage people to exercise, especially walking and running, even in the summer,” she told AFP.
Children, men, women and at least one person with a disability were among the participants who collected a medal and a bag of freebies at the finish line.
Zamani, a Sri Lankan tourist, was one of the runners, along with her young children.
“I like the energy, everybody is all geared up,” the 46-year-old said.
“It’s very modern and chic.”