Brazil Appoints Cadu Albuquerque National Esports Director

The federal government appointed Cadu Albuquerque as national director of esports, a posting published in the Official Gazette. Albuquerque will lead the Directorate for Esports within the National Secretariat for Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sport at the Ministry of Sport.

Albuquerque replaces Márcio Zuba de Oliva, who served as national director from October 2024 until his removal in April 2026.

In the new role, Albuquerque will help design public policies and governance structures for Brazil’s competitive gaming sector. The directorate oversees regulatory and development measures that affect tournaments, athlete pathways, industry partnerships and the economic aspects of esports.

Before the federal appointment, Albuquerque was president of the Rio de Janeiro State Federation of Electronic Sports (FERJEE). Bárbara Corrêa was named interim president of FERJEE following his departure.

At FERJEE, Albuquerque organized and supported national and international events, expanded grassroots and LAN competitions for young players, and promoted women’s competitions through the Rainhas do Clutch circuit. The federation worked with state agencies and private companies to increase local esports activity.

Albuquerque helped secure an agreement between the Rio de Janeiro state government and the ESL FACEIT Group to bring back IEM Rio 2026. He also assisted in bringing the international edition of Rainhas do Clutch 2026, a Counter-Strike 2 tournament, to Rio.

The appointment moves Albuquerque from a state-level organizer to a national policy position. The directorate will coordinate public and private efforts to support expansion of esports infrastructure, event hosting and player development across Brazil.