EWC announces the roadmap for Esports Nations Cup 2026

Bryan Francis Published January 12, 2026

The Esports World Cup is the biggest tournament in esports, perhaps not by viewership but by scale. Hosted in Saudi Arabia, the event consists of various esports tournaments with some of the biggest prize pools.

Following the success of the Esports World Cup in 2025, the EWC Foundation announced the launch of a new tournament known as the Esports Nations Cup. A tournament where the best players represent their nation to prove which country has the best talent in esports players. Recently, in a post on X, the Esports Nations Cup announced the roadmap for the 2026 tournament. Let’s take a deep dive into the roadmap and its impact.

Image via X (@ENC_EN)

What is the Esports Nations Cup?

The Esports Nations Cup was announced back in August 2025, following the completion of the Esports World Cup. According to the announcement, the tournament will be like the Olympics for Esports, something that the World Cyber Games wanted to be in the early 2000s. The Esports Nations Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026. In a follow-up post, the Esports Nations Cup announced that it will be partnering up with multiple game publishers. Below is a list of some of them:

• EA Sports
• Krafton
• Tencent
• Ubisoft
• Chess.com
• Moonton
• SNK

The above list consists of publishers of some of the biggest games in the world. The Esports Nations Cup will consist of 16 game titles. For each game, one country can only have one team consisting of two players.

ENC 2026 roadmap

Image: EWC Foundation

The Esports Nations Cup shared the entire roadmap for stakeholders as well as players:

• January to February 2026: Game titles and format announcements
• March to May 2026: National team partner announcement, coach selection and announcement, National rosters selection and announcement
• June to August 2026: Qualifiers and direct invites for all game titles
• October 2026: Group stage draw
• November 2026: Esports Nations Cup Finals

The application process for individuals and organizations to apply as the National Team Partners has been made live. The individual can be a part of an Esports organization or even a local government-backed federation.

Similar to the Esports World Cup, the Esports Nations Cup will have a $20 million fund for partner teams. It must be stated that without a National Team Partner, a country will not be able to take part in the upcoming event. In a few weeks’ time, we will come to know about the 16 games that will be a part of the ENC 2026.

• Read next: All Esports World Cup games announced

Featured image credit: EWC Foundation