The organization behind the Esports World Cup is putting the spotlight on competition between countries starting in 2026: The Esports Nations Cup has been announced – as a complement to the Olympic eSports Games?
In soccer and many other sports, the World Cup between national teams is the absolute highlight. In esports, however, competitions between nations are often overshadowed by global tournaments contested by individual players, organizations, or clubs. Now, however, countries are set to take center stage: The Esports World Cup (ENC) is being launched.
The event, organized by the Esports World Cup (EWC) Foundation, is set to make its debut in November 2026 – initially like its counterpart in Riyadh. “Competition between nations is the ultimate expression of sport,” says Ralf Reichert, CEO of the organizer and promoter.
“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,” Reichert continues. The new tournament is “a stage to create heroes” and “inspire the next generation.” The aim is to “accelerate the growth of eSports worldwide.”
ENC as the successor to the FIFAe Nations Cup?
The first edition of the Esports Nations Cup is being developed in cooperation with several publishers and companies that are providing the titles. Those known so far are Krafton, Ubisoft, Tencent, and Electronic Arts (EA). This suggests that the recently released FC 27 will also be played in November 2026. The unofficial successor to the FIFAe Nations Cup, in other words.
The ENC aims to bring together players from all regions of the world and offer both team and individual competitions. According to the organizers, the “multi-layered qualification system” will include rankings, qualifiers, and wildcards. Details have not yet been revealed. Those who make it to the main round in Riyadh are guaranteed to go home with prize money.
The Esports Nations Cup is scheduled to take place every two years, with different hosts. This distinguishes it from the EWC, which has so far been held annually and exclusively in Saudi Arabia.
Shooter addition to the Olympic Esports Games
Based on the already announced selection of partner publishers, it can be assumed that titles such as PUBG and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six will also be played at the Esports Nations Cup. This is in contrast to the Olympic Esports Games, which are planned for 2027 and are shying away from shooters, at least for the time being. The IOC is slowly venturing into esports.
The ENC, in turn, could become a kind of complement to the Olympic Esports Games – especially since the Esports World Cup Foundation is involved in both projects. As this is largely financed by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF, the competition innovation is also further strengthening the kingdom’s dominant position in the esports ecosystem.