The Esports Foundation has officially announced that the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) will be held in Paris, France.
Scheduled to run from July 6 to August 23, 2026, the relocation marks the first time in the tournament’s history, including its predecessor event, Gamers8, that the multi-game festival will be staged outside of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Notably, the massive lineup features a diverse array of mind sports and competitive gaming disciplines, with chess officially included as one of the prominent games in the event.
While the Esports Foundation has framed the transition as an acceleration of its long-term strategy to rotate the tournament globally, the decision was heavily expedited due to escalating regional unrest and severe security concerns in the Middle East.
The sudden change of venue follows weeks of intense industry speculation. Throughout the winter and spring, Riyadh and the nearby King Khalid International Airport were repeatedly targeted by drone attacks linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The unstable geopolitical climate had already upended major international events in the region, including the cancellation of the Formula 1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix earlier this year.
With major international airlines suspending routes to and from the Middle East through October 2026, the Esports Foundation faced a logistical nightmare. Bringing thousands of players, team staff, and spectators into Riyadh for an event spanning nearly eight weeks became an unmanageable risk. In a press release, organizers noted that the evaluation process was handled with the safety and stability of players, clubs, and fans in mind, providing them with the clarity needed to safely arrange travel.
French President Emmanuel Macron directly celebrated the announcement on social media, welcoming the event to the capital and thanking Saudi Arabia for its trust, stating: “The EWC will be held in Paris! This is a first that honors us… Very proud to welcome the world again.” To mark the occasion, Macron received Esports Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert at the Palais Élysée.
Despite the temporary departure, the Esports Foundation emphasized that Saudi Arabia remains central to the event’s identity.
“Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “Riyadh is the home of EWC… This year, we’re excited to bring EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and is one of the great global capitals of sport, culture and entertainment… Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.” Organizers have also expressed their intention to return the tournament to Riyadh in 2027.
Though the setting has shifted to European time zones, the competitive scale of the tournament remains entirely uncompromised. The seven-week event is bringing massive numbers to France:
Dates: July 6 – August 23, 2026
Scale: More than 2,000 elite players representing over 200 global Clubs from 100+ countries.
Tournaments: 24 distinct gaming titles across 25 high-stakes tournaments.
Prize Pool: A record-breaking cumulative prize purse exceeding $75 million USD (surpassing the $71.5 million distributed in 2025).
While specific venue details have yet to be finalized by the local organizing committee, industry reports suggest that major indoor arenas, such as the Paris La Défense Arena, are under close consideration to host the games. Tickets for EWC 2026 are slated to go on sale in the coming weeks, with original Riyadh ticket holders automatically receiving full refunds and priority promotional codes for the new Paris dates.
