Esports Nations Cup
 The official logo of the tournament | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Esports |
| Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2027) |
| Month played | November |
| Administrator | Esports Foundation |
Tournament format(s) | National teams; qualification via global rankings, regional qualifiers, wildcards and solidarity slots |
| Participants | National teams from North America, South America, Europe, MENA, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia & Oceania |
| Website | esportsnationscup |
| Most recent tournament | |
| 2027 Esports Nations Cup | |
Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is an upcoming international multi-title esports tournament focused on representative national esports teams. The event is organised by the Riyadh-based Esports Foundation (EF)[1], a non-profit organization, and is planned to be held every two years.[2] It was announced during the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh in late August 2025, with the inaugural finals scheduled for November 2027 (initially November 2026) in Riyadh before rotating to other host cities.[3][4] The first edition is being co-developed with online chess platform Chess.com and video-game publishers Electronic Arts, Krafton, Moonton, SNK, Tencent and Ubisoft.[5]
History and announcement
The Esports Nations Cup was announced during the New Global Sports Conference, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in August 2025, with the inaugural edition set for November 2026 in Riyadh.[6][7][8][9][10] Initial expectations stated that more than 1,500 players from over 100 nations would be taking part across roughly 15 titles.[11][12][13] It would be held on a biannual schedule under a rotating hosting model.[14]
Following the announcement of the Esports Nations Cup, the inaugural edition would later be announced to have a total of 16 titles. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was the first title revealed for ENC on 25 January 2026, during the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia.[15]
On 18 August 2026, the Esports Foundation announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup would be postponed to November 2027 in response to the 2026 Iran war. By the time of the announcement, almost all titles had finished their respective qualifiers.[4]
The Nations Cup follows the expansion of the Esports World Cup, the flagship competition organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation (later renamed to the Esports Foundation)[16] as well as similar competitions held in the past that focused on nation-based esports competition, such as the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC), IESF World Championships and World Cyber Games (WCG).
Format
The Esports Nations Cup features national teams from seven defined regions — North America, South America, Europe, the MENA region, Africa, Asia and Southeast Asia & Oceania. These nations are represented by partner organizations or individuals, which can include but are not limited to national esports and traditional sports organizations, individual esports clubs, non-governmental organizations and agencies.[17] Qualification uses a multi-layered pathway combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, wildcards and solidarity placements, with 50% of each tournament having automatic qualifiers and rosters for each title required to not have a supermajority of players from a single club. One regional wildcard slot is given for most titles to allow the entry of the best team from a specific region (the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the case of the postponed 2026 edition) that didn't qualify to the event. Players receive guaranteed prize money with equal placement rewards across games, with the winners receiving $50,000 per player per title. The event will run biennially, debuting in Riyadh in November 2027 before moving to a rotating host model. The inaugural edition is being co-developed with Electronic Arts, Krafton, Moonton, SNK, Tencent and Ubisoft, alongside the online chess platform Chess.com.[18]
Featured games
16 games were set to be featured in the 2026 edition of the event, with the final game revealed on 7 April 2026. It is unknown which of the 16 titles will be used in 2027.
Reception and controversy
An analysis by Mike Stubbs argued that a nation-versus-nation format could "actually make national competition work" in esports if execution and game selection align with fan interest.[19] Sheep Esports welcomed the concept but noted that key details—such as the final list of games, qualification specifics and national team governance—had not yet been fully disclosed at launch.[20]
South Korea selection controversy
In March 2026, as part of the National Team Partner selection process, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) was selected as the National Team Partner for South Korea at the planned 2026 edition in Riyadh. This gave KeSPA full rights to select South Korea's coaches and rosters for each title at the event. However, in an April 2026 report in Seoul Sport, it was revealed that the Esports Foundation had requested to include certain players onto South Korea's rosters for select titles.[21] KeSPA would stand by its own selection process and go against requests made by the Esports Foundation. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) would further state that athletes that weren't selected via official means, like through KeSPA, would be barred from competing under the Korean flag or being called "national representatives".[22] Ultimately, in a statement published to numerous outlets, it was announced that the Esports Foundation would not move forward with KeSPA as the National Team Partner for South Korea.[23] The Esports Foundation and KeSPA would later agree on the latter's return to the Esports Nations Cup.
See also
References
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Announces Esports Nations Cup". 23 August 2025. EWC. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports Nations Cup". esportsnationscup.com. Esports World Cup Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Launches First-of-Its-Kind Esports Nations Cup". Saudi Press Agency. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Esports Nations Cup postponed to 2027". HLTV. 18 August 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation announces new Nations Cup tournament". Arab News. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Announces Esports Nations Cup 2026". Deadline. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Inaugural Esports Nations Cup set for November 2026". SportsTravel. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation announces Esports Nations Cup". TNT Sports. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports Nations Cup to debut in Riyadh". Hotspawn. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Esports Nations Cup in 2026". Saudi Gazette. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia to host first Esports Nations Cup". The National. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation launches first-ever Esports Nations Cup". Arabian Business. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Announces Global Competition". Men's Journal. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Launches Esports Nations Cup, Debuting in 2026". Programming Insider. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ Rossel, John Dave T. (25 January 2026). "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang confirmed as first game for Esports Nations Cup 2026". esports.gg. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Announces Its First Global National Team Tournament". IGN. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation Introduces National Team Representation Framework for the Esports Nations Cup 2026". Esports Nations Cup (official press release). Esports World Cup Foundation. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ "Esports World Cup Foundation announces Esports Nations Cup". Esports Nations Cup (official press release). Esports World Cup Foundation. 24 August 2025. Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ Stubbs, Mike (23 August 2025). "The Esports Nations Cup Might Actually Make National Competition Work". Forbes. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "EWCF launches Esports Nations Cup in Saudi Arabia for 2026, but key questions remain". Sheep Esports. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "'국가대표' 선발에 사우디가 개입?…'660억'이면 마음대로 해도 되나→韓 국가대표, ENC 출전 거절 [SS이슈]". Seoul Sports (in Korean). 27 April 2026. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ Phalip, Corentin (27 April 2026). "South Korea's KeSPA won't move forward with ENC 2026 amid players selection dispute". Sheep Esports. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ McCarthy, Sophie (27 April 2026). "South Korea pulls out and leaves Esports Nations Cup with a credibility crisis". Hotspawn. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
