Paris Awarded Hosting Rights for 2026 Esports World Cup

The Esports Foundation has awarded the hosting rights for the 2026 Esports World Cup to Paris, France.

The 2026 edition will be the first EWC to be held outside of Saudi Arabia, and the third edition in the event’s history. The event has been moved from its traditional home in Riyadh due to the current geopolitical tensions and travel concerns across the Middle East, although it will still take place across the same dates from July 6 through August 23, 2026.

Funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the EF (formerly known as the Esports World Cup Foundation or EWCF) is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and managed by CEO Ralf Reichert, a previous co-founder of ESL.

Earlier this year, the EF announced the full lineup for the 2026 EWC when originally scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia, alongside a total record prize pool of $75 million. More than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from 100-plus countries were due to compete in this year’s World Cup competitions, including 25 tournaments in multiple arenas with 24 games to be played over seven weeks to decide the next Esports World Cup Club Champion.

Despite the change of host city, the EF has confirmed that the record prize pool will remain and that it is set to welcome the same number of players and clubs from different countries that it had previously anticipated. It also said that more details on the 2026 EWC venue in Paris would be announced in the coming weeks, along with participating clubs, players and teams.

The Esports World Cup was a rebranding from the previous Gamers8 series that had also been organized in Riyadh since 2022. Through a cross-game format, the EWC is designed to bring together the world’s best players, clubs and games for its global community of fans.

Tensions in the Middle East came to a head at the end of February after the United States and Israel began missile strikes on Iranian missile infrastructure, military sites and senior leaders (including killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), with U.S. President Donald Trump calling for Iran’s government to be overthrown to “ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”

In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on military bases and residential areas in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Cyprus and ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Sports-related travel was affected by the conflict, too, with March’s Finalissima soccer match between Spain and Argentina in Qatar and Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April being canceled as a result. Iran’s participation in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup was also left in doubt, but the national team is believed to be preparing to compete with just weeks to go until the tournament.
Although all previous editions of the EWC and Gamers8 had been staged in Saudi Arabia, the EF had been rumored to be exploring expansion into international tournaments and competitions, in order to drive new audiences and partnerships around the world. However, the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East left organizers with little option but to move the 2026 EWC abroad, at least for one year.

“Following an extended evaluation process, and in light of the current regional situation, the Esports Foundation decided to accelerate that international rotation ambition for the 2026 edition, offering clarity and stability for players, Clubs, publishers, partners and fans worldwide, while preserving the tournament’s scale, structure and competitive integrity,” said the EF in a statement via a press release.

In 2025, the EWC reported that it had reached more than 750 million viewers worldwide, as well as generating over 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership nearing eight million. In addition, the event was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and over 800 channels in 35 languages, reaching fans in 140 countries.

This year’s Esports World Cup will feature racing game Trackmania for the first time, while Fortnite will also return featuring the Reload Elite Series after a one-year absence. The game was originally excluded because the game’s developer, Epic Games, did not utilize a dedicated, purpose-built competitive structure designed for club representation, according to the EF.

Each game will host at least one event, with some being standalone events and others feeding into a larger competitive circuit. A record total of $75 million will be distributed across all events — an increase from the $71.5 million prize pool in 2025.

“Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Esports Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert. “Riyadh is the home of EWC and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport.

“This year, we’re excited to bring EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and is one of the great global capitals of sport, culture and entertainment.

“Together with the passion of French fans and the strong support we’ve received locally, we’re excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of EWC. Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.”

“This is a first that honors us,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron on X. “Thank you to Saudi Arabia for its trust. We are ready to organise this 2026 Esports World Cup. Very proud to welcome the world again.”

IOC-Saudi Arabia Olympic Esports Games Cancelation

The news comes just months after the International Olympic Committee announced that it had canceled its 12-year agreement with Saudi Arabia to host the Olympic Esports Games. The first event had been scheduled to be held in Riyadh in 2027 but the IOC said that it would instead develop an alternative approach to the Games and pursue a new partnership model.

However, at a recent executive board meeting, IOC President Kirsty Coventry admitted that the Committee was focusing on its core business and that “esports is not among the priority topics,” despite being keen to reach new audiences and explore potential new revenue streams.

Esports came under the IOC microscope during the presidency of former incumbent Thomas Bach, who emphasized its particular appeal to players under the age of 34. Coventry’s recent statement indicated that Esports would not be disappearing from the IOC’s agenda but that the project would only return from June onwards when it is ready to be submitted to the Executive Committee.