The Esports World Cup 2026 opened on July 8 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, marking the tournament’s first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Organizers relocated the event less than two months before the opening matches in response to regional tensions.
Tournament Scale and Prize Distribution
The relocation accelerates a previously planned global rotation schedule for the festival, which remains funded under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative. Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation, said: "Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon. It is the home of EWC. But this year, we are excited to bring EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia." The 2026 edition features a $75 million prize pool, an increase from the $60 million distributed in 2025. Over 2,000 players representing more than 200 clubs from 100 countries are competing across 25 tournaments in 24 titles, including Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, and Dota 2. Sportsbook operators GG.BET and Betway have expanded their live in-play offerings to cover the seven-week broadcast schedule.The relocation follows the 2025 edition, which the Esports Foundation reported reached 750 million viewers through 97 media partners broadcasting in 35 languages. DAZN continues to stream the full event free worldwide for the third consecutive year. DAZN Group CEO Shay Segev confirmed the broadcaster’s ongoing commitment to global accessibility.
Paris has previously hosted the League of Legends World Championship Final and the BLAST.tv Paris Major for Counter-Strike.