The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the formal launch of “Road to EWC 2026,” its official global qualification program that gives Esports World Cup 2026 competitors a season-long pathway to the Esports World Cup 2026 in Riyadh ( July 6 – Aug. 23) through 230 qualifying tournaments and competitions.
These qualification tournaments (more than 230) are across all major regions and competition levels, utilizing a unified global calendar that links participating publisher leagues, international events, and open qualifiers.
EWCF says that the Road to EWC 2026 offers a “clear pathway from grassroots and online competitions through to the Esports World Cup stage.” The competitions are related to competitive titles being played during EWC 2026 including League of Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Rocket League, Tekken, Street Fighter, Trackmania, and Chess. There will also be an open online pathway for grassroots players across titles such as Dota 2, Teamfight Tactics, Chess, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
“Road to EWC brings together the journeys that shape competitive esports,” said Faisal Bin Homran, chief product officer of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “By creating a defined qualification season, it gives the whole industry the confidence to plan; players can focus on performance, Clubs can commit resources earlier, publishers can align their ecosystems, and fans know when and where the biggest moments will happen. If we keep building together, we will grow the sport in a way that is sustainable, inclusive and truly global.”
Finally EWCF says that the Road to EWC 2026 will be integrated into many global esports ecosystems run by publishers and third-party tournament organizers, utilizing the official leagues and premier tournaments as qualification to EWC 2026. This includes events and ecosystems for Apex Legends Global Series, Capcom Cup, the Chess.com Global Championship, Combo Breaker, CROSSFIRE Pro League, EA Sports FC Pro, EVO, Free Fire World Series, Fortnite Reload Elite Series, King Pro League (Honor of Kings), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang MWI 2026, Overwatch Champions Series, PUBG Global Series, PUBG MOBILE Global Open, Rocket League Championship Series, the SNK World Championship (Fatal Fury), TEKKEN World Tour Finals, and the official esports circuits for Call of Duty, League of Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Trackmania, and Valorant.
More information about the Road to EWC 2026 can be found at its freshly launched Road to EWC hub.
Projects backed by the Saudi government are often accused of being used for “sports washing,” or as a cover for the government to gloss over 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.