Esports World Cup 2026 Heads to Paris as Global Gaming Spectacle Expands Beyond Riyadh
The Esports World Cup 2026 will be hosted in Paris, France, marking the tournament’s first edition outside Riyadh. The global esports event will bring together 2,000 players, 200 clubs and millions of fans from over 100 countries.
Dubai, 21 May 2026: The Esports World Cup (EWC), widely regarded as the world’s largest esports and gaming event, is officially heading to Paris, France in 2026, marking the first time the global tournament will be hosted outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed that EWC 2026 will take place from July 6 to August 23 in Paris, bringing together more than 2,000 players and 200 esports clubs from over 100 countries for one of the most anticipated gaming events in the world.
The move represents a major milestone in the organisation’s long-term strategy to expand the tournament globally through an international host city rotation model. Paris now becomes the first international destination in EWC history, reinforcing esports’ growing status as a mainstream global sport and entertainment industry.
“Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and stands among the great capitals of sport, culture and entertainment. We are excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of EWC.”
The announcement follows the massive success of recent editions held in Riyadh. In 2025, the Esports World Cup reportedly attracted more than 750 million viewers worldwide and generated over 350 million hours watched across 28 streaming platforms, 97 broadcast partners and over 800 channels in 35 languages.
EWC 2026 is expected to continue that momentum with 24 games featured across 25 tournaments and a record-breaking prize pool exceeding USD 75 million.
While the official Paris venue is yet to be announced, organisers confirmed that further details will be revealed in the coming weeks. Fans, players and ticket holders will also receive direct updates regarding the event and venue arrangements.
The Esports Foundation said the decision to move the tournament to Paris was made following an extensive evaluation process and aims to provide stability and clarity for players, publishers, clubs, partners and fans while maintaining the event’s scale and competitive integrity.
As esports continues to evolve into a billion-dollar global industry, the arrival of the Esports World Cup in Paris signals another major step in bringing competitive gaming to mainstream international audiences.
