The Esports Foundation (EF) announced on the 8th (local time) the opening of the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC 2026), the world's largest esports and gaming event, in Paris, France.

EWC 2026, the first to be held outside of Saudi Arabia, will run until August 23 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The tournament features over 2000 elite players from more than 100 countries and 200 major esports clubs, all competing for a record-breaking total prize pool of $75 million across 25 tournaments featuring 24 globally popular games.

Leading up to the main event, the largest-ever 'Road to EWC' qualifying program was held. This year, more than 1.5 million players participated in 330 tournaments, publisher leagues, and major international circuits, all vying for a spot on the world's biggest esports stage.

With the global gamer population reaching 3.6 billion, gaming has become a universal language that connects continents, cultures, and communities. The EWC serves as the premier annual event for this community, providing a stage where the world's best players, clubs, and games converge to shape the future of esports.

Paris provides a global stage befitting the vision of EWC 2026. Recognized as a city of sports, culture, and major international events, Paris symbolizes the next chapter for the EWC as it expands beyond borders, unites the global esports ecosystem, and presents competitive gaming as a modern global sport.

The opening press conference held at the Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall) carries significance beyond the start of a tournament. The event, which included opening remarks by Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, demonstrates Paris' official welcome to the global esports community and reflects the growing role of competitive gaming within modern sports, culture, and youth entertainment.

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the EF, stated, "Competitive gaming has always had great players, games, and unforgettable champions, and the EWC brings them together on one premier annual stage." He added, "During the seven-week tournament in Paris, each discipline will crown its own winner, but every result contributes to the larger competition: the Club Championship. This is what differentiates the EWC; it evaluates not only individual excellence but also the depth, consistency, and ambition of the entire club."

HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, an EF board member, said, "The EWC was born in Saudi Arabia on the bold belief that esports is a core platform for the next generation of sports and entertainment, requiring a global stage worthy of the passion of players, clubs, publishers, and fans. Today, the EWC has grown beyond a mere tournament into a global platform that unites people through gaming." He continued, "While Riyadh will always remain the home and foundation of the EWC, our vision has always been to expand beyond those borders. That vision has brought us to Paris, opening a new chapter for the community. I thank President Emmanuel Macron and our French partners for making this moment possible; together, we are demonstrating the unique power of esports to bring the world together."

Marina Ferrari, French Minister of Sports, said, "It is a source of great pride for France to welcome Paris as the first international host of the Esports World Cup. I highly value the efforts shown by the Esports Foundation in preparing for this event and the level of cooperation established with French authorities." She stated, "This partnership, built on trust, played a crucial role in enabling us to meet the challenge of hosting the first international Esports World Cup in Paris." She added, "Building on the legacy of major sporting events held in France in recent years, the country is once again proving its capacity to host the world's largest international competitions and showcase its expertise. This World Cup is an example of the long-term vision for French esports; this autumn, France plans to announce its 2026–2030 national esports development strategy to support industry structuring, foster new talent, and strengthen the international influence of the French esports ecosystem."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen, who have shown top-tier competitiveness in football and chess respectively, return as global ambassadors for EWC 2026. Their continued involvement highlights the EWC's expanding influence at the intersection of sports, gaming, and global culture. The event brings together elite players, major clubs, creators, fans, and global icons on a single stage to celebrate competitive achievement.

The Club Championship is the EWC's core competitive system, which determines the world's best esports club by aggregating performance across multiple game titles. Throughout the seven-week event, every match, map, and result can shift the overall standings. Clubs compete based not only on the performance of star players but also on consistency, depth of roster, resilience, and excellence across the entire tournament. Of the record-breaking $75 million total prize pool, $30 million is awarded based on Club Championship rankings, with $7 million going to the winning club. Team Falcons will be defending their title following their success in 2024 and 2025.

Fans in over 160 countries worldwide can watch the EWC live through approximately 100 broadcast and OTT partners, streaming platforms, and digital services. Over 7k hours of live programming are expected to be produced during the event.

To further expand global reach, the industry-leading creator program will feature up to 5k official co-streaming partners, spreading the EWC to more communities and language groups. This program, which has grown 42% compared to last year, reflects how esports is consumed today through global broadcasts, local languages, creator-led communities, and shared digital experiences, ultimately providing fans with more ways to experience the tournament.

The tournament will crown champions across 25 competitions based on 24 of the world's biggest esports titles. The games, in alphabetical order, include Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA SPORTS FC 26, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG MOBILE, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Rainbow Six Siege X, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, Tekken 8, Trackmania, and VALORANT.

The full tournament schedule and detailed information about the EWC can be found on the official website, and future announcements will be available via the official EWC X channel.