The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Saturday the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a new tournament offering nations vs. nations competition, taking place every two years. Current plans are to have these international games every two years, with the first event tentatively set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2026. The competitions will be co-developed along with Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft, according to today’s announcement. The ENC announcement was made today at the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This does not appear to be a replacement for either the Olympic Esports Games or the Esports World Cup, and the EWCF declined to comment further. A representative for the organization told us Saturday morning, “All the information we can share today is the release. Many more details to come, for sure.”
EWCF said in its announcement that each publisher stakeholder “will help shape their game’s national ranking systems, qualification pathways, and event formats, ensuring the ENC resonates with their fans and meets the highest standards of competition.”
“Nation versus nation competition is the ultimate expression of sport,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “The ENC makes this a reality for esports, giving every fan a flag to rally behind and every player the pride of representing their country. It’s a stage to create heroes, inspire the next generation, and, together with our partners and stakeholders, build the national ecosystems that will accelerate the growth of esports worldwide.”
Initially, the ENC will feature national teams from “all major regions,” which includes North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, and SEA & Oceania. These regions will compete in both “team-based and solo-player formats using a multi-layered qualification model developed by stakeholders” that EWCF hopes “will balance competitiveness and inclusivity.” That qualification model will include global rankings, regional qualifiers, and Wildcard entries, and “solidarity placements.”
Following its debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026, the ENC will move to a rotating host model, though how locations will be chosen in the future was not disclosed.
Specific game titles were not revealed as of this writing, but one would think that Rainbow Six Siege, Honor of Kings, EA FC, and PUBG Mobile/PUBG are likely candidates, along with some other titles owned by these stakeholders. Finally, EWCF said that additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government such as Esports World Cup, Esports Nations Cup, and NGSC 2025 are often criticized for helping the government engage in so-called “sports washing,” or using various forms of sport and entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGTBQ+ rights, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.