British Esports and Varkey Group have launched EGAMES DUBAI27, a global esports competition for schools, according to the launch release. The British Esports Federation and Dubai-based Varkey Group are the named organizers. The release says the event revives a brand that British Esports President Chester King first took to Rio during the 2016 Olympics.
Students in the 2026/27 academic year will compete in national tournaments run by their country's esports federation. One winning school delegation per country will advance to live finals at the GEMS School of Research & Innovation in Dubai on April 16 to 18, 2027. The finals will feature EA Sports FC 27, Rocket League and a Minecraft build tournament. The release names 14 federations that have committed so far: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe and the UK. The EGAMES website says the host country will rotate each year.
The release says teams can win medals, scholarships, "experiences at the Esports Nations Cup" and new hardware for their schools. It does not say who is paying for these prizes.
In written answers to The Esports Advocate, an EGAMES spokesperson said Varkey Group and the British Esports Federation are the initial partners. The spokesperson said further partners, prize pool details and other elements "will be announced as plans progress." The spokesperson said EGAMES "will support the participating country in covering costs for qualifying finalists" at the Dubai finals. Costs for national qualifiers will be set by the in-country partner and federation in consultation with EGAMES. The spokesperson did not disclose a budget or prize pool, who provides the scholarships, or a target number of schools or teams.
The spokesperson also said "there is currently no formal partnership between EGAMES and the Esports World Cup Foundation," which runs the Esports Nations Cup. The spokesperson did not say how the Nations Cup experiences will be arranged.
King holds two roles in the launch release, as British Esports President and as GEMS Esports Ambassador. The spokesperson said the ambassador role is "a separate GEMS Education appointment directly with them" and did not say whether it is paid.
In April 2016, the International eGames Committee announced a national-team tournament with UK government backing, to be held alongside each Olympics, according to a report by SBC News. King was then the committee's chief marketing officer. The first event was scheduled for August 15 to 16, 2016. The Esports Advocate could not find a record of the 2018 or 2020 editions taking place. Companies House records show the committee was renamed British Esports in 2021 and has filed dormant accounts since.
The federation's accounts for 2025, filed September 29, report turnover of £638,511 and a loss of £697,121. The federation also reported a loss of £515,493 in the preceding nine-month period. At December 31, 2025, it had net liabilities of £1.3 million and an average of 18 employees. According to the accounts, International Group Management Limited, described as a company under common control, has made an unsecured, interest-free loan to the federation. The balance was £1,460,927 at the end of 2025. Companies House lists King as a director of that lender. The auditor, TTR Barnes, reported no material uncertainty about the federation's ability to continue as a going concern.
Varkey Group is chaired by Sunny Varkey, who also founded GEMS Education. GEMS is EGAMES' education partner and is hosting the finals at one of its schools.
Still unknown are the company that owns and operates EGAMES, how much Varkey Group is contributing, the prize pool, the number and funding of scholarships, whether schools pay to enter national qualifiers, and how Esports Nations Cup experiences will be delivered.