Esports Nations Cup Announced for 2026 in Riyadh

The Esports World Cup Foundation announced details Monday for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, a global tournament set for November 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where players will represent their countries in competitions across 16 game titles.

The four-week event marks the first large-scale nation-based esports competition, emphasizing national pride over club affiliations. It will feature both team-based and solo-player formats, developed in partnership with publishers including Electronic Arts, Chess.com, Krafton, Moonton Games, SNK, Tencent and Ubisoft. Additional game partners are expected to join in the coming weeks. Specific titles remain under wraps, though industry observers anticipate inclusions such as EA Sports FC, PUBG Battlegrounds, Honor of Kings, Rainbow Six Siege, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and chess, based on the involved publishers. Further announcements on the games and their formats are slated for later this month and into February, with qualifiers beginning in June.

Participation rules require national teams to form mixed rosters drawn from players across different clubs, prohibiting full club lineups to foster merit-based...