The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced earlier this week that Moonton Games’ popular mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) has officially been selected as the first of 16 titles that will be played at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), the nation vs. nation competition taking place in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The news isn’t particularly surprising as the initial announcement of the Esports Nations Cup mentioned several early partners including Trackmania and Rainbow Six Siege publisher Ubisoft, PUBG and PUBG Mobile maker Krafton, and Honor of Kings publisher Tencent Games. Moonton, Chess.com, and SNK Corporation were added in November of 2025.
While not official, it is expected that other top publishers and game makers already aligned with the Esports World Cup will take part in the Esports Nations Cup.
Announced in August 2025, the ENC is a replacement of sorts for the Esports Olympic Games, part of a 12 year deal between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Arabian government. As previously chronicled by The Esports Advocate, that deal ultimately fell apart as the IOC and the Saudi government struggled to align on some core principles on governance for future events.
In January, the EWCF announced its partner program for nations interested in participating in the event, with around $20 million USD earmarked to fund regional participation.
For 2026, the Esports Nations Cup will be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with subsequent events to be hosted every two years in different countries.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government, such as the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nations Cup are frequently criticized for helping the government engage in so-called “sports washing,” or using various forms of entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, its mistreatment (and executions of) journalists, 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.