An annual virtual racing tournament, arranged by motoring organizations in the Middle East and North Africa using Gran Turismo 7, will become the first in the world to operate under the new FIA International Sporting Code for esports later this month.
It’s the latest step in a years-long evolution of how the official global motorsports body treats non-physical motorsport. Indeed, anyone familiar with the subject will be wondering how this is the first such event, given several previous championships run under the FIA’s banner and with its blessing.
That of course started with Gran Turismo. What would become the Gran Turismo World Series started out with official recognition from the FIA, which was listed as an official partner for the event and for Gran Turismo Sport itself.
Not only did the event have official standing, the winners did too. Up until interruption by global events of 2020 and the transition to Gran Turismo 7 in 2022, the players who took the Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup titles were honored with a trophy at the official FIA Prize Giving Ceremony alongside champions from other major series like Formula One.
Of course the organization has also recognized esports at its own FIA Motorsport Games, held nominally every two years and featuring Gran Turismo Sport in its inaugural edition back in 2019. More recent events have switched to Assetto Corsa Competizione and iRacing.
Where this new initiative differs is that it’ll be the first event to be conducted under the FIA’s own regulations rather than simply applying its branding to other events. This comes due to the new Appendix E of the International Sporting Code as agreed upon at the FIA World Motor Sport Council in December 2024.
It’s a bit of a dry read, as most sets of regulations are, but in essence the appendix allows for officially recognized national sport associations (or ASNs, as the abbreviation is in French) — once approved — to organize their own esports series on appropriate titles and hardware. Events will have to use recognized officials, such as stewards and a race director, and abide by the general International Sporting Code.
The first such event then will be the MENA Esports Championship final, to be held from Thursday November 13 to Saturday November 15 in Amman, Jordan.
Qualifiers for this series have been running across 2025, with national qualifying events taking place over the past couple of months to determine the best two from each territory who’ll make up the 40 regional qualifiers. These will then be reduced to 24 drivers in the regional qualifier to head to the finals.
Regular Gran Turismo viewers may recognize the name of the event, as the tournament — as the MENA Esports Cup — has also been used to select a finalist for the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup each year at the Gran Turismo World Series finals.
That won’t be the case this year, as the Toyota GR-sponsored series did not run in 2025. However the winner of the MENA event this year will gain the original honor of the FIA-supported Gran Turismo World Series and head to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in December to the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony to collect a trophy.
It’s unlikely that this specific development will have any bearing on the return of the FIA name to the Gran Turismo World Series — particularly as the regulations cover events arranged by ASNs under the FIA’s purview and not those arranged by private organizations such as Sony. Nonetheless, it’s a door that we understand remains open, and a sign that the FIA’s interest has not waned.
