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Esports Nations Cup to be launched at end of 2026

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Prize pool "comparable" to $70 million for EWC 2025

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Ubisoft, EA, Tencent ( TCTZF ) and Krafton to be partners

By Zaheer Kachwala

Aug 23 (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed foundation behind

the Esports World Cup is betting on national pride to fuel its

next phase of growth with a new biennial tournament starting

next year.

The Esports Nations Cup will debut at the end of 2026 in

Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, the Esports World Cup (EWC)

Foundation said on Saturday, without naming the participants.

Unlike the annual world cup with its club-based format, the

new tournament will feature national teams and be held every two

years.

The cup is part of Saudi's "Vision 2030" strategy to

diversify beyond oil, with big investments in gaming and other

sports, among other sectors. Critics have, however, called the

push "sportswashing" due to the country's human rights record.

"There is much more potential to grow. There is a void in

national representation and national pride will bring additional

fans and players and cultural engagement," Ralf Reichert, the

foundation's CEO, told Reuters.

Reichert said the prize pool would be "comparable" to the

$70 million lot for the Esports World Cup's second edition, set

for its finale on Sunday.

Its hours watched have jumped 52% to 270 million over the

inaugural edition, while over 2 million have attended in person.

Such tournaments are crucial for pro-gamers as prominent

esports brands struggle with finances. Some of the tournaments

have also included post-pandemic favorites such as chess.

For ENC, the foundation has partnered with video game

publishers Electronic Arts ( EA ), Krafton, Tencent ( TCTZF )

and Ubisoft.

"(The publishers) have the data on what's happening on the

server. So identifying in each country who are the best players

... then figuring out who's the national coach will be done

together with a publisher," Reichert said.

For future editions, the host cities will rotate to "where

the sport is popular and can mobilize the masses," he added.