The Sunset Esports Festival is returning to Zadar and gathering leading names from the global gaming and esports industry.

After a successful edition last year, the Sunset Esports Festival returns on June 5 and 6, 2026, at Fortis Club in Petrčane near Zadar, where it will gather representatives from some of the most influential organizations, companies, and institutions in the world of esports, gaming, technology, and digital entertainment over two days of programming.

The festival is being held for the second consecutive year as part of the Sunset Sports Festival, one of the most recognizable regional events dedicated to sports, media, technology, and business, and this year's edition of the Sunset Esports Festival brings a conference program focused on the future of competitive gaming, investments, innovations, and the development of the global gaming ecosystem.
 
Among this year's speakers are His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, President of the Saudi Esports Federation, His Royal Highness Prince Omar bin Faisal, President of the Jordan Esports Federation, Her Royal Highness Sara bint Faisal Al Saud, Vice President of the Saudi Esports Federation, Claire Hungate, President and COO of Team Liquid, and Jonas Gundersen, owner of Astralis. Representatives from organizations such as BLAST, HEROIC, International Esports Federation, SPORTFIVE, Sportradar, and many other international companies and institutions that actively shape the future of the gaming and esports industry will also attend the festival. Through a series of panels, keynote speeches, and networking activities, participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions about investments in gaming and esports, industry development, new business models, the role of data and analytics, sports tech innovations, and the global development of competitive gaming.

The conference program of the Sunset Esports Festival will take place on Friday, June 5, 2026, starting at 10:00 AM, while the second day of the festival will place additional focus on the startup and sports tech ecosystem.

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, The Sharks of Sunset, a startup pitching session aimed at projects in the fields of sports, esports, gaming, and technology, will be held. Ten selected startups will present their ideas to VC funds, private investors, and representatives of leading gaming and tech companies, with opportunities for networking, feedback, and potential partnerships. Applications for The Sharks of Sunset are open via the official link.

A jury composed of investors and industry experts with experience in venture capital investments, sports tech, and global company development will decide on the projects. Among the jury members are Pedja Predin from Fifth Quarter Ventures, Stjepko Čordaš from Hellen’s Rock Capital, and Nils Sterenborg, former Head of Sports at Amazon and CEO of the Powerplay One platform.

On the second day of the program, Sport Tech Empowered will take place, an interactive workshop dedicated to innovations, artificial intelligence, and the future of sport tech entrepreneurship. Through practical examples and open discussion, participants will have the opportunity to explore how AI tools and new technologies are changing the way products are developed, automated, and new technological solutions are created in the sport tech industry. Sport Tech Empowered will be led by Ranko Gajanović, a growth operator and expert in AI tools and automation, who helps organizations and startups implement AI technologies in their daily operations through practical workshops and digital product development.

For more information about the program and speakers, visit the website and Instagram, while you can secure your regular tickets via this link, and experience tickets via this link.