The Esports Foundation (EF) today announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled to take place in November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to November 2027.
The news is not unexpected, given proximity of Saudi Arabia to the active Iran War. Without referencing the war, the Esports Foundation said the postponement followed “ongoing assessment of the wider regional situation, and after consultation with key stakeholders.”
Given ENC’s unprecedented international scale and the uncertainty created by the wider regional situation, EF believes moving the inaugural competition to November 2027 is the responsible decision to provide the certainty and stability that National Teams, publishers, partners and fans expect. ENC brings together teams and stakeholders from more than 100 countries and territories. Saudi Arabia remains fully capable of hosting events, with major sporting and entertainment events continuing as planned.
One source mentioned to me that the Esports Nations Cup is harder for teams to commit to because they are effectively loaning out some of their best athletes to play on national teams, and they lose the ability to earn money from that athlete in the meantime. In that way, the ENC requires a lot more advance planning and negotiation than the Esports World Cup, which was able to pivot in 47 days to move from Riyadh to Paris because of the Iran War this summer.
The decision reflects EF’s commitment to delivering a world-class international competition that meets the standards and long-term ambition on which the Esports Nations Cup was founded. The postponement does not change EF’s commitment to the ENC or to the national esports ecosystems already being built around it, the EF said.
All existing ENC Development Fund commitments to National Team Partners will remain in place. The ENC Development Fund and related ecosystem development programs will continue, alongside ongoing work with publishers, National Team Partners and other stakeholders. EF will work directly with partners on the implications of the revised timeline and the transition towards the inaugural competition in 2027.
“The decision to postpone the Esports Nations Cup was not taken lightly,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation, in a statement. “The response from National Team Partners, publishers, players and communities around the world has shown us how much potential this competition has. We owe them an inaugural ENC delivered under the right conditions and at the level this idea deserves. Hosting the tournament in Riyadh next year does not change our commitment. We will continue investing in our National Team Partners, working with publishers and building the national ecosystems already taking shape around the competition. The work continues, and our ambition for ENC remains unchanged.”
The ENC has generated extraordinary momentum around the world. More than 100 countries and territories across every continent have already secured official partner status and will bring together the world’s best players across multiple game titles. Designed to complement the existing esports ecosystem, ENC aims to create new pathways for athletes, strengthen national esports development and build new forms of fandom through national pride and international competition.
Over the coming weeks, EF will continue working closely with National Team Partners, publishers and other stakeholders to provide clarity on the revised competition calendar, qualification pathways and other implications of the new timeline.