The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Tuesday the tentative line-up of competitive titles that will be available during the 2026 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Titles named include Chess, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Call of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Crossfire, EA FC 26, Free Fire, League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, Rainbow Six Siege X, Overwatch 2, PUBG Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and fatal Fury City of Wolves. EWCF said in its announcement that four titles are to be revealed at a later date.
Likely choices to be announced at a later date include Marvel Rivals, Riot’s new fighting game 2XKO, Rocket League, and Fortnite (which were included last year but not mentioned in today’s announcement).
As it did in 2025, the Esports World Cup is tentatively scheduled to run from July 6 – Aug. 24, and will be followed by the Saudi government-backed conference, the New Global Sport Conference. NGSC 2026 is likely to take place from Aug. 23 – 24, at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh.
The Esports World Cup is funded by a “sports grant” from the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. While the EWCF claims that it is independent of the government, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (HRH Crown Prince MBS), Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, was appointed the Chair of a new Board of Trustees for EWCF in September.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government such as Esports World 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.