The Esports World Cup Foundation announced on May 21 that the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC 2026), billed as the world's largest gaming extravaganza, will take place in Paris, France, from July 6 to August 23. It is the first time the EWC will be hosted outside of Riyadh, marking the beginning of the Foundation's long-term vision to turn this into a truly global travelling roadshow.

The Esports World Cup Foundation claims it is operating under a vision to foster international tournaments through collaboration with global audiences, partners, and host nations. They explained that, following a lengthy review process and taking recent regional dynamics into account, they have decided to fast-track their international rotation plans. The goal, they say, is to provide a stable environment for players, clubs, developers, and fans while maintaining the scale and integrity of the competition.

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, noted that Riyadh has been instrumental in growing the EWC into a global phenomenon. "Riyadh, the home of the EWC, has cemented itself as a global esports hub thanks to its passionate fan community and long-term vision," he remarked. Reichert expressed high expectations for the inaugural Paris event, praising the city as a global centre for sports, culture, and entertainment that has plenty of experience hosting world-class events.

This announcement follows a steady expansion of the global audience during the previous Riyadh-based iterations. The EWC 2025 recorded over 750 million viewers worldwide, with cumulative watch time exceeding 350 million hours. Peak concurrent viewership hit approximately 8 million, with the event broadcast in 35 languages across 28 platforms, 97 broadcasting partners, and over 800 channels, reaching fans in 140 countries.

For EWC 2026, over 2,000 players and 200 clubs from around 100 countries are expected to descend upon Paris. They will compete across 24 games and 25 tournaments. The prize pool remains the largest in history, exceeding $75 million (approximately 102.45 billion KRW). The specific venue in Paris will be revealed in the coming weeks, with individual notices sent to participating clubs, teams, players, and ticket holders. For further details, you can visit the official EWC 2026 website.