Daniel Juravle made the comment as the International Esports Federation (IESF) and Iași officials held a conference to discuss the 2023 edition of its flagship event.

Iași was announced as the host last month.

"Iași is the youngest city in Romania and the largest after the country’s capital," Juravle said.

"We are ready to host the World Esports Championships, an event that will bring great energy to our city and turn it into the capital of esports. 

"We are waiting for gamers from all over the world with open arms. 

"Together we can create the future of this industry. 

"We will make sure that you have fun and that you will make history in this great city."

It will be the second time that Romania has held the finals of the World Esports Championships, following capital Bucharest doing so in 2013.

More than 1,200 players are due to feature, according to the IESF.

"We are so excited to bring the World Esports Championships back to Romania," IESF President Vlad Marinescu said.

"The WE Championships have a rich history of generating international exposure for esports and uniting the world esports family, and the 2023 edition is expected to be the largest edition ever with at least 130 countries participating. 

"We are thrilled that we can continue to provide our athletes with the ultimate environment to perform at their full potential on the world stage."

Bali is due to host the finals of the World Esports Championships this year, from November 27 to December 9.

A record prize pool of $500,000 (£375,000/€445,000) has been announced, as well as six game titles to be contested.

Dota 2, Tekken 7, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the eFootball series will return, plus mobile games PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are to feature for the first time.