| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Esports |
| Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | November 2026– |
| Administrator | Esports World Cup Foundation |
Tournament format(s) | National teams; qualification via global rankings, regional qualifiers, wildcards and solidarity slots |
| Host | Saudi Arabia |
| Venue | Riyadh |
| Participants | National teams from North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia & Oceania |
| Website | esportsnationscup |
| Most recent tournament | |
| 2026 Esports Nations Cup | |
Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is an upcoming international multi-title esports tournament focused on representative national esports teams. The event is organised by the Riyadh-based Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) [1] , a non-profit organization, and is planned to be held every two years. [2] It was announced during the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh in late August 2025, with the inaugural finals scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh before rotating to other host cities. [3] The first edition is being co-developed with online chess platform Chess.com and video-game publishers Electronic Arts, Krafton, Moonton, SNK, Tencent and Ubisoft. [4]
The Esports Nations Cup was announced during the New Global Sports Conference, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in August 2025, with the inaugural edition set for November 2026 in Riyadh. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Initial expectations stated that more than 1,500 players from over 100 nations would be taking part across roughly 15 titles. [10] [11] [12] It would be held on a biannual schedule under a rotating hosting model. [13]
Following the announcement of the Esports Nations Cup, the inaugural edition would later be announced to have a total of 16 titles. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was the first title revealed for ENC on 25 January 2026, during the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. [14]
The Nations Cup follows the expansion of the EWCF’s flagship Esports World Cup, [15] as well as similar competitions held in the past that focused on nation-based esports competition, such as the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) and World Cyber Games (WCG).
According to the organisers, the ENC will feature national teams from seven defined regions—North America, South America, Europe, the MENA region, Africa, Asia and Southeast Asia & Oceania. These nations will be represented by partner organizations or individuals, which can include but are not limited to national esports and traditional sports organizations, individual esports clubs, non-governmental organizations and agencies. [16] Qualification is planned to use a multi-layered pathway combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, wildcards and solidarity placements. The EWCF says that players will receive guaranteed prize money with equal placement rewards across games. The event will run biennially, debuting in Riyadh in November 2026 before moving to a rotating host model. The inaugural edition is being co-developed with Electronic Arts, Krafton, Moonton, SNK, Tencent and Ubisoft, alongside the online chess platform Chess.com. [17]
An analysis by Mike Stubbs argued that a nation-versus-nation format could "actually make national competition work" in esports if execution and game selection align with fan interest. [18] Sheep Esports welcomed the concept but noted that key details—such as the final list of games, qualification specifics and national team governance—had not yet been fully disclosed at launch. [19]
