Gran Turismo 7 Levels Up! Now an Official FIA Virtual Racing Championship.

The world of racing is entering a new era. For the first time, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) is officially organizing an esports racing tournament under its full authority, titled the FIA MENA Esports Championship 2025. This historic event will take place from November 13-15, 2025 in Amman, Jordan.

As quoted from the official FIA website on Tuesday in Jakarta, this tournament marks a significant milestone for automotive esports, with MENA being the acronym for Middle East and North Africa.

"We are delighted to present the FIA MENA Esports Championship 2025, which can boost the popularity of racing sports both regionally and globally," said FIA Esports Commission President Niroshan Pereira.

This championship emerged from the success of the MENA Esports Cup, first held four years ago with support from the FIA Sport Grant Programme.

Since then, the competition has grown rapidly and become one of the most anticipated events in the MENA region.

In the 2024 edition, the tournament attracted 1,200 participants and recorded 500,000 online viewers, confirming the strong appeal of virtual racing among motorsport enthusiasts.

This year, the FIA MENA Esports Championship 2025 will use the legendary racing game Gran Turismo 7. Qualifying rounds have been held over the past two months across 20 MENA countries, producing 40 top racers (two from each country). From the regional stage, 24 drivers will advance to the main competition in Amman.

The battle intensifies as the top 12 participants secure spots in the finals to compete for the inaugural FIA MENA Esports Championship title.

The excitement of this virtual racing event will be recorded and broadcast on November 28, 2025, giving millions of fans the opportunity to witness the world's best digital racers in action.

The champion will later be invited to the FIA Awards ceremony in December 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

"We look forward to the competition and welcome the winner in Tashkent at year's end," Pereira stated.

As an official FIA tournament, the competition will be strictly supervised by a race director, two international stewards, and a sporting coordinator—all directly appointed by the FIA. All regulations are also established by the world's highest automotive authority.

With this bold step, the FIA reaffirms its commitment to bridging conventional and digital racing worlds while opening a new chapter for the future of global motorsport esports.