Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, will host the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC 2026), further solidifying the Kingdom’s status as a major hub for global sports events.
Building on the remarkable success of the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC 2025), Riyadh will host the first edition of ENC in November 2026, introducing a nation-vs-nation competition, allowing players to represent their countries’ national teams on a global stage.
The much-anticipated tournament will feature some of the world’s well-known game publishers, such as Electronic Arts, Tencent, Krafton, and Ubisoft, which will highlight popular titles including EA Sports FC, Apex Legends, PUBG, and Rainbow Six.
Over four weeks, teams from around 100 countries will compete in more than 15 games. The ENC competitions will take place in both team-based and solo-player formats, with players qualifying through a mix of global rankings, regional qualifiers, and wildcard entries. The tournament is expected to have a large prize pool.
After Riyadh, the Esports Nations Cup will take place every two years, with future editions rotating to host cities worldwide to combine global prestige with lasting local impact.
Riyadh hosted the EWC’s two editions in Boulevard City. The EWC 2025 took place from July 7 to August 24, bringing together more than 2,000 professional gamers and 200 clubs from over 100 countries, competing in 25 tournaments for a total prize money exceeding $70 million. The tournament attracted unprecedented audiences and media attention.
In addition to EWC and ENC, Saudi Arabia has hosted key sports events, including the annual Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Formula E-Prix, Spanish Super Cup, and will host the FIFA World Cup 2034.
By hosting these major events, Saudi Arabia is further establishing its position as a global sports hub and a host for prestigious international events, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.
