EWC commits to CS2 in 2027 and 2028, but fans question its future

Pavo Jurkic Published September 21, 2026

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has just announced the Counter Strike portion of the EWC 2027 and 2028 events. The 2027 Esports World Cup is set to feature 32 world-class CS2 teams, a whopping $2 million in prize money, and offline Open Qualifiers in Riyadh next July.

Key Details

• Start date: July 20th, 2027
• End date: August 1st, 2027
• Location: Esports Boulevard Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The 2027 EWC will have a double-elimination group stage featuring four groups of eight teams each, with the best four from each advancing to the playoffs. The playoffs will feature 16 best teams in best-of-three matches up until the grand final, which is scheduled for a best-of-five spectacle.

Fans seem to have mixed feelings about the EWC announcement

I’ve skimmed through the comments on the official EWC announcement on X and fans seem to have mixed feelings. Some of them are wondering, with the current geopolitical issues in Saudi Arabia, if the EWC franchise will be around in 2028.

Others are speculating that the 2028 event will be the final one, simply because the announcement only featured the 2027 and 2028 events. These are just speculations and there is a clear reason to announce events this early – and that is to comply with Valve’s guidelines.

That being said, recent developments in Saudi Arabia do raise concerns. These include the country dialing back on its ambitious NEOM city with contract cancelations amounting to billions in USD, coupled with it pulling out of LIV Golf, which has subsequently filed for bankruptcy. That doesn’t mean that the EWC is in trouble.

Saudi’s PIF, the primary bankrollers for the event, has found much more success from esports, having established and lured almost all major publishers and esports organizations to participate in the event.

The country is continuing to build on its space in esports, such as with a signature esports arena in Qiddiya City’s Gaming and Esports District (located near Riyadh), which is reported to cost approximately $700 million.

Why announce the events this early?

The thing is, Valve requires third-party event organizers to announce Tier 1 tournaments at least 22 months prior to the competition’s main event. Plus, Valve also has restrictions on direct and VRS (Valve Regional Standings) invites, which the EWC has followed for all its event.

More precisely, the open qualifiers will be played from July 16 through July 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the four best teams set to enter the main event.

The 2027 EWC slots are as follows:

• 20 Global VRS invites
• 2 NA VRS invites
• 2 SA VRS invites
• 2 Asian VRS invites
• 2 Wildcard invites
• 4 teams from the Riyadh Open Qualifiers.

We don’t know much information on the 2028 EWC, except that it’ll take place sometime between July 14 to 30, 2028.

Before then, we have plenty of CS2 esports action, so check out our CS2 stats to know what is coming up soon, leading to the Singapore Major later this year.

Featured image credit: Esports Foundation