Bigo Live partners with Esports World Cup 2026 for MENA coverage, and its crypto payment rails matter

Bigo Live just secured an official content partnership with the Esports World Cup 2026, giving it exclusive activation rights around three of the most popular mobile titles in the MENA region. The deal covers PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Honor of Kings during the tournament running July 2 through August 23, 2026, in Paris. Here’s why this matters beyond gaming: Bigo Live is one of the few major streaming platforms that already accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and USDC for account top-ups. It integrated those crypto payment options back in November 2022. So when millions of MENA esports fans tune in through Bigo Live this summer, they’ll be doing it on a platform with digital asset rails already baked in. The deal and why MENA is the target The Esports World Cup 2026 features 25 separate events and a total prize pool of $75 million, the biggest in esports history. Bigo Live’s deal covers three mobile games where MENA audience interest runs deepest: PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Honor of Kings. Bigo Live is owned by JOYY Inc., the Singapore-headquartered social technology company. The platform has been aggressively expanding its footprint in the Middle Ea...