The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) has announced the first sim racing event that will use its International Sporting Code.
The MENA Esports Championship 2025 takes place from November 13th to 15th, 2025, in Amman, Jordan.
To adhere to the International Sporting Code, the FIA will appoint a dedicated race director along with two international stewards and a sporting coordinator who will define the ‘official sporting regulations’ used to oversee the competition.
Founded in 2021, the FIA MENA Esports Championship has cemented itself as one of the largest sim racing events in the Middle East. Co-funded by the FIA Sport Grant Programme, the event has attracted over 1,200 sim racers from across the region.
“We are delighted to present the FIA MENA Esports Championship, which will further raise the profile of this thriving motorsport discipline both at regional level and on a global scale,” said Niroshan Pereira, President of the FIA Esports Commission.
“It is the result of many years of hard work and a pioneering vision. We look forward to following the competition.”
Qualifications for the event began in September, with 40 drivers competing in a regional qualifier. The top 24 drivers will advance to the main event on Gran Turismo 7 for a chance to become champion and earn an invitation to the FIA Awards.
The FIA And Sim Racing
Throughout 2025, the FIA has continued to expand its presence within the sim racing sector. In late September, it published an esports survey to gather insight and feedback that will help shape its future esports initiatives.
August saw it add esports as part of the 2025 FIA Karting World Championship as a tool to demonstrate virtual racing as a pathway to embark on a career in real-world motorsport.
As the first event to feature the FIA’s International Sporting Code, it will be interesting to see if other sim racing events decide to follow suit. However, the deal does signal that motorsport’s governing body continues to expand with various new initiatives designed to bridge the gap between virtual and real-world motorsport.
