The Esports Foundation has unveiled the organizations and individuals awarded National Team Partner status for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, which is due to take place in the Saudi capital of Riyadh from November 2 to 29, 2026.
The new multi-game championship expands on the existing Esports World Cup (EWC) format to bring a nations-based dimension under which participants will represent countries rather than clubs.
These nations-based teams will go head-to-head in a dozen video games including Apex Legends, Chess, League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant and Rockets League.
It marks the first time a major esports tournament has introduced a structured global system for national teams at scale. Chosen from 630 applications, the awardees span organizations and individuals representing more than 100 countries.
The selected National Team Partners operate through a range of structures. There is the newly formed USA Esports as well as established national bodies such as the Korea Esports Association, Saudi Esports Federation and British Esports; to club-led coalitions in Brazil and hybrid public-private alliances in countries such as Germany, Canada and the UAE.
In markets such as Malaysia, Turkey, and Thailand, partners include federations working closely with grassroots communities, while in emerging regions like Indonesia and Mongolia, partners are being supported through structured development to represent their nations on a global stage.
“The Esports Nations Cup introduces something esports has never had before: a global system for national teams at an unprecedented scale,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation.
“The response we received from across the world shows that communities are ready for this next step. Together with our partners, we are building the structures that will allow players to represent their nations and compete on the biggest stage in esports. With more than 100 nations now part of the system, the Esports Nations Cup moves from concept to reality — establishing national esports as a lasting part of the global competitive landscape.”
Following its launch in Riyadh in November, the annual Esports Nations Cup run on biennal basis and change location on a rotating city model.
The Esports Foundation emphasized that the new tournament has been designed to complement existing club-based frameworks rather than replace them, as well as provide a stable structure for players and long-term investment in national team programs.
The ongoing development of the Esports Nations Cup follows in the wake of a decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last October to cancel a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia, under which the country would have hosted the body’s first major esport tournament in Riyadh in 2027.
IOC still has plans to hold an Olympic Esports Games, in addition to its summer and winter Games, but has gone back to the drawing board on how this will be put in motion, having run a pilot event in Singapore in 2023.
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is pushing on with its plans to become a become a key hub and player in the world of competitive gaming, having hosted the annual Esports World Cup in 2025 and 2026.
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