The inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC 2026) will take place in Riyadh, bringing the world’s best Esports players to Saudi Arabia.
The dates of the much-awaited tournament have been revealed. From November 2 to November 29, national teams from all North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, South East Asia and Oceania will compete in team-based and solo-player formats.
Supported by the Esports World Cup Foundation, the Esports Nations Cup is expected to be a biennial event featuring a nation-versus-nation format. Following Riyadh, the future editions will rotate to host cities worldwide to combine global prestige with lasting local impact.
Over four weeks, teams from around 100 countries will compete in more than 15 games. Players will qualify through a mix of global rankings, regional qualifiers, and wildcard entries.
Interestingly, the Esports World Cup Foundation unveiled an impressive $45 million commitment, including a $20 million prize pool, with all players receiving guaranteed earnings and equal rewards for the same rank across all titles.
Moreover, the tournament’s inaugural edition will see collaboration among some of the world’s well-known game publishers, such as Electronic Arts, Tencent, Krafton, and Ubisoft. It will also feature 16 games, including Honor of Kings, Fatal Fury: The City of Wolves, Dota 2, Trackmania, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, and Chess.
