Esports Nations Cup Announced: National Teams to Compete on the Global Stage in 2026

Esports Nations Cup

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has revealed its next big project, the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a brand-new tournament where players won’t just be competing for their clubs but for their countries.

While the Esports World Cup (EWC), which is about to wrap up this Sunday, focused on club-based competition, the ENC takes things to another level by introducing national pride into the mix. The very first edition is set for November 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and after that, the event will move to different host countries every two years.

A New Twist: Nation vs. Nation

“Nation versus nation competition is the ultimate expression of sport,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. He explained that ENC will give fans a flag to cheer for and give players the honor of representing their homeland. It’s more than just bragging rights — the format is designed to inspire upcoming players and strengthen the esports scene in every region.

Backed by Big Names

This won’t be just another tournament thrown together at random. The ENC is being co-developed with some of the biggest publishers in gaming, including Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft. These companies will directly help design how national rankings, qualifications, and match formats work for each game.

Format, Structure, and Fairness

Unlike the annual Esports World Cup, the Nations Cup will be a biennial event. This gives teams, coaches, and organizations more time to prepare and build proper national team programs. Teams will come from all corners of the world — North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, and SEA & Oceania — with both team-based and solo formats.

The qualification system will be multi-layered. It combines global rankings, regional qualifiers, and Wildcard slots, with some solidarity placements to make sure smaller or emerging regions get a fair shot.

In terms of rewards, the ENC will emphasize fairness. All players will receive guaranteed prize money, and rewards will be equally distributed across all participating titles.

Building on the EWC Hype

The Nations Cup is essentially the next step after the Esports World Cup’s massive success. While the EWC united the strongest clubs across multiple titles, the ENC leans into national identity, giving esports fans something closer to what traditional sports fans experience during the Olympics or FIFA World Cup.

The official announcement was made during the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, where 1,500 industry leaders gathered to discuss how traditional sports, gaming, and esports are starting to converge.

For now, fans can circle November 2026 on their calendars as the start of something that could redefine international esports competition. If the EWC was about crowning the best club, the ENC is here to find out who can truly claim the title of the best nation in gaming.