Esports Foundation

♟️64 players representing 64 countries and territories have been directly invited to compete in Chess at the inaugural ENC 2026. ⭐ These competitors are the best of the best: Grandmasters from all around the world whose strategy and precision have elevated them to stardom. They’ve proven themselves throughout the official Champions Chess Tour, placing high enough on the official rankings to secure themselves a direct invite to Chess at ENC 2026. 🏆 At the top is EWC 2025 Champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, who will represent his home country of Norway. He is a multi-time World champion and has held the number one ranking for more than a decade, but only one accolade remains to be earned: First place for his home country of Norway.  🌍 Joining Carlsen are some of his greatest rivals; competitors that will seek to deny him and Norway the top spot at ENC 2026, including his EWC 2025 grand final opponent Alireza Firouzja (France), his semifinal opponent Hikaru Nakamura (United States), and his quarterfinal opponent Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan). Amongst the highest-ranked competitors not mentioned are a handful of elite Grandmasters that have successfully qualified for Chess tournaments at the EWC, as well as the ENC: Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Nihal Sarin (India) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia). Joining them are Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland) and Mai Narva (Estonia), the first women to officially qualify for the ENC 2026 Finals. 🛣️ The invited players revealed today make up half of the field of 128 competitors that will participate in Chess at ENC 2026. Sixty-one players will qualify through regional events taking place on June 6-7 and June 13-14, all organized by Chess.com and all featuring open sign-ups to enable any player with enough skill and tactical thinking to forge their own pathway to the ENC. 📅 The Chess tournament at ENC 2026 will begin on November 2 and conclude with the playoff final on November 8. We can’t wait to watch the best of the best compete in Chess at the ENC this November in Riyadh. #EsportsNationsCup #ENC2026 #Chess #Riyadh

🚀 106 unique countries and territories confirmed Rocket League rosters for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup. 🥇 The top 24 will receive direct invitations to the ENC 2026 finals. The players on these teams have already proven themselves during the Rocket League Championship Series, with performances translated to the official ENC 2026 rankings used to determine invites. 🇫🇷 This past weekend, Vatira and juicy from Team France got to experience what it’s like to triumph with an entire nation lifting them up, claiming the RLCS Paris Major trophy for Karmine Corp in front of their home crowd. Now they get to compete with zen once again under the French flag in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 🇸🇦 The exciting trio of Rw9, trk511, Kiileerrz have already accomplished so much together in both club and national team competition, claiming trophies together for Team Falcons and Team Saudi Arabia. While they no longer fly together under the Falcons banner, their bond remains strong, and the opportunity to claim gold at home in Riyadh is one they cannot pass up. 🏆 Every player has their story to complete. The United States’ Atomic and Daniel want to add ENC 2026 gold to their trophy cabinet after claiming the world championship this past September. Morocco’s dralii has already etched his name into history with two EWC trophies in Rocket League, and wants to add more to his legacy. The players on teams from Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and others have dominated regional competition, and now eye success and victory on the global stage. 24 more countries and territories are set to join through online regional qualifiers and Wildcard slots. Beginning on November 3, 48 teams will begin their journey at the ENC Finals in the round-robin group stage, eventually culminating in a Grand Final on November 8. We look forward to kicking off the Rocket League event at the ENC 2026 this November in Riyadh. Epic Games #EsportsNationsCup #ENC2026 #RocketLeague #RLCS #Riyadh

🇫🇷 Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is now part of the Esports World Cup 2026 story. Paris has gaming history. It has global event infrastructure. It has the cultural weight of a city that knows how to welcome the world. ◎ That combination made Paris Expo Porte de Versailles the right home for the first Esports World Cup hosted outside Riyadh. For more than a decade, Paris Expo has welcomed hundreds of thousands of gaming fans through Paris Games Week, one of Europe’s most prestigious gaming events. The venue also played a major role in hosting the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, proving it can support the scale, complexity and pressure of major international sport. 🏆 From July 6 to August 23, the Esports World Cup 2026 will bring more than 2,000 players, 200 Clubs and fans from over 100 countries to Paris for seven weeks of elite competition, global broadcasts, unique experiences and partner activations. 🏅Twenty-five competitions. Every major genre. One global stage. For French fans, there will also be a strong home story to follow, with Team Vitality, Gentle Mates and Karmine Corp among the Clubs competing at the world's largest esports and gaming event. 🎫  Tickets go live this Friday, May 29. We look forward to welcoming players, Clubs, partners and fans to Paris this summer! VIPARIS #EsportsWorldCup #EWC2026 #Paris #ParisExpo #Esports #Gaming

🏰 ENC 2026 Announces Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Rosters and Direct Invites 12 rosters have received a direct invitation to compete at the ENC 2026 Finals through the official ENC Rankings, which score, accumulate, and rank submitted roster player performances across official Rainbow Six competitions, including Regional Leagues, Majors, and the Six Invitational. 🌍 Those 12 rosters are: Brazil, France, United States, Great Britain, Sweden, Indonesia, China, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, and Portugal. 🏆 Some of the best Clubs in the world are well represented in this year’s ENC 2026 Rainbow Six Siege tournament. All five members of both Team Falcons and Team Secret will compete for their respective national teams, alongside players from G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, and Weibo Gaming. All ENC 2026 Rainbow Six Siege rosters can be viewed on the ENC website. Teams ranked outside the top 12 will compete in online regional qualifiers between May 28-31, with two teams qualifying to the main event from North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia. The final two teams will come from Wildcard slots. 📅 The Rainbow Six Siege tournament at ENC will take place November 18-22, live from Riyadh. The first stage will consist of 24 teams competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring four groups of six teams. The second stage will consist of 16 teams competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. We look forward to welcoming all Rainbow Six teams in Riyadh in November. Ubisoft #Esports #Gaming #Siege #R6 #EsportsNationsCup #ENC

🚀 ENC 2026 opens global qualification pathway, with over 100,000 Players from 150+ countries and territories expected to participate across the 16 games 🏆 Designed to reflect the structure of each game ecosystem, the Road to ENC combines multiple qualification models and is supported by the ENC Rankings, which track player performances across major international competitions to determine national standings and direct invitations to the ENC Finals. 🎮 Team Coaches across Dota 2, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG MOBILE, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League and VALORANT submitted rosters by May 10. These line-ups will determine each country’s or territory’s points in the ENC Rankings and direct invitations following each title’s ranking cutoff date, with all remaining teams advancing through regional qualifiers. ⚔️ In Counter-Strike 2 and Apex Legends, players will form their own rosters and qualify through open online competition, with the top-performing teams earning the right to compete at ENC. 🥊 Street Fighter 6 will be played in a team format and qualification will take place through solo competition to maximise accessibility, with winning players securing qualification for both themselves and their country or territory. Remaining roster spots will then be filled by the highest-ranked players in the ENC Rankings. ♟️ Chess, EA SPORTS FC, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Trackmania will combine ranking-based invites with open qualifiers, creating direct pathways to the ENC Finals for tens of thousands of players. Open qualification allows unlimited players from every country and territory to compete for up to two national spots at the Finals in Riyadh. “The Road to ENC is designed to reflect how esports actually operates globally,” said Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer at the Esports Foundation. “Different games, regions and communities require different qualification models, whether through direct national team selection by country and territory, open qualifiers or player-built rosters. Bringing those systems together into one international structure is what allows the ENC to create the broadest possible competitive footprint for esports.” 🌍 By bringing together national team partners, publishers, coaches, players and local ecosystems into a unified competition structure, the Road to ENC establishes a recurring global qualification season for international esports competition, creating long-term pathways for players to participate on the world stage.  Electronic Arts (EA) Chess.com, Valve corporation, 株式会社SNK（SNK CORPORATION）Tencent Games Riot Games MOONTON GAMES KRAFTON Inc. Ubisoft Epic Games and Capcom #EsportsNationsCup2026 #ENC2026 ##esports #gaming

🇫🇷 Esports World Cup 2026 to be Hosted in Paris, France. 🏆 The Esports Foundation is guided by a long-term vision of growing our international tournaments and competitions through collaboration with audiences, partners and host markets around the world over time. Following an extended evaluation process, and in light of the current regional situation, we decided to accelerate that international rotation ambition for the 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup, offering clarity and stability for players, Clubs, publishers, partners, and fans worldwide, while preserving the tournament’s scale, structure and competitive integrity. “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 and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport. 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. Together with the passion of French fans and the strong support we’ve received locally, we’re excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of EWC. Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.” 🚀 The announcement builds on the continued growth of the Esports World Cup and its global audience following successive editions hosted in Riyadh. 📈 In 2025, EWC reached more than 750 million viewers worldwide and generated over 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership nearing 8 million. The event was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and over 800 channels in 35 languages, reaching fans in 140 countries. 🎮 This edition of the EWC will once again welcome more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, who will compete in 24 games across 25 tournaments for a share of the record-breaking $75 million+ prize pool. #EsportsWorldCup #EWC2026 #Paris #Esports #Gaming

🇮🇳 Esports Foundation and JioBLAST Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch India Rising: Road to EWC. 🏆 India Rising will establish an official national pathway to the Esports World Cup 2026, beginning with Chess and culminating in a live festival and finals event in Mumbai. ♟️ Delivered in collaboration with Jio and Chess.com, the initiative will feature nationwide open qualifiers, with more than 10,000 grassroots players expected to compete for a place at the EWC 2026 Chess tournament this August. “The Esports World Cup’s purpose is to unite the global gaming community, and that means investing in regions shaping the future of the industry,” said Mohammad Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer of the Esports Foundation. “India is central to that vision. Through partnership with JioBLAST, we are creating new opportunities for Indian players to compete at the highest level, while bringing the EWC closer to its fans in the country.” 🏟️ The Mumbai festival will combine competitive gaming with creator programming, exhibition matches, live entertainment and community experiences, including VALORANT and Moba Legends: 5v5! showcase events, cosplay, music, comedy and interactive gaming zones. 📈 India is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally, expected to surpass 500 million players in 2026, while continuing to produce world-class Chess talent including Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi. 🤝 JioBLAST will lead the design and delivery of India Rising across competition, festival and content, establishing a structured route from grassroots participation in India to the global stage at EWC. We look forward to welcoming India’s next generation of players and fans to Road to EWC this year. #EsportsWorldCup #EWC2026 #IndiaRising #Chess #Esports #Gaming

🚀 Over 700 Game Coaches Appointed Across 100+ Nations and Territories as Roster Assembly Begins for the Inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 🏆 Drawn from more than 90 leading esports organizations across the globe, the cohort spans world champions, established leaders and rising stars building local scenes, connecting team development to the highest level of global competition. 🧩 The announcement marks the start of team roster selections, due by May 10, with coaches now responsible for identifying players, defining team strategy, and building competitive lineups across ENC’s team-based games.. “The Esports Nations Cup is being built step by step, and appointing team coaches is the next critical layer in that structure,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “If teams are what make esports intuitive for a mainstream audience, coaches are what make them credible for players and fans. They bring identity, direction, and standards to each team. With more than 700 coaches now in place across over 100 National Team Partners, we’re turning the idea of nation-based competition into something people can understand instantly and believe in — a system that is structured, real, and ready to perform on the world stage.” 🚨⏭️ Attention now turns to finalizing player selections, as teams take shape ahead of the ENC’s global qualification pathway. Competitors in solo-player games as well as in the remaining team-based titles will be identified through full open qualifiers, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. Coaches from the remaining nations and territories, including the ones without an NTP,  will be announced at a later date. We look forward to welcoming players from around the world to Riyadh this November. #EsportsNationsCup2026 #ENC2026 ##esports #gaming

We won The Webby Awards! Our “EWC In Numbers” campaign video for the Esports World Cup 2025 took home the prize in the Social & Games: Best Community or Fan Engagement - Organization / Institution category. Congratulations to the Social, Marketing and Content teams, and everyone at the Foundation who contributed to this campaign and all the amazing content that was produced at last summer’s EWC. Thank you to everyone who voted for this campaign! We are incredibly proud to be a part of the 30th Annual Webby Awards and chosen one of the best of the Internet! Campaign video ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/etgP27wj

We’re excited to share that the Esports Foundation has been nominated across two prestigious industry award platforms celebrating digital, video and television content: The Webby Awards and Telly Awards! Mainstream recognition like this underscores the mission of the Foundation – to elevate esports as a global sport and drive the sustainable growth of the industry. To be nominated alongside some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment like Netflix, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL) and NBCUniversal shows that esports is on its way. For the Webby’s, Esports World Cup: Level Up, the groundbreaking documentary that pulled the curtain back on the fierce competition of the inaugural 2024 event, has been shortlisted in the 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 & 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘮: 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 category, while our social team’s “EWC In Numbers” campaign has been shortlisted in two categories: 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 - 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 / 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴. For the Telly’s, Esports World Cup: Level Up has earned a nomination in the 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 & 𝘚𝘦𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺. Congratulations to the Foundation employees who put so much time and effort into this work, and thank you to our fans and partners, Sony and Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, for their Voting on these nominations is open for another week, so please cast your vote - voting links in the first comment!