The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has announced the launch of the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a new tournament in which esports champions will compete for both their teams and home nations.
It will be the first time top esports players compete for national glory on this scale, with big competitions until now mainly involving transnational teams.
The inaugural edition will take place in November 2026 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and feature national teams from all major regions, including North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, and SEA & Oceania, competing in both team-based and solo-player formats.
The inaugural edition will be co-developed with the publishers and video game companies Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft.
EWCF said that a multi-layered qualification model would balance competitiveness and inclusivity: combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, and Wildcard entries, including solidarity placements, to ensure a broad and representative competitive stage in every game.
All players will receive guaranteed prize money, with equal placement rewards across all games, ensuring fairness for players. EWCF added that it would work with relevant stakeholders in each region to shape how teams are formed and represented.
“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.”
The ENC will be held every two years to ensure a structure for players, coaches, and esports organizations – and confidence for publishers, clubs, and partners to invest in long-term national team programs.
The ENC announcement was made over the weekend at the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, where 1,500 industry leaders convened to discuss the convergence of gaming, esports and sport.
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