The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) recently announced some early details on the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC), which will take place this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Notably, EWC 2026 will feature a total prize pool of $75 million USD spread out across multiple titles and will take place from July 6 – Aug. 23, with tickets officially on sale now. EWCF claims that EWC will feature more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries competing in 25 tournaments across 24 games to determine an overall club champion.
For the 2026 EWC Club Championship, $30 million will be up for grabs for the top 24 Clubs, an increase of $3 million from last year. The winning Club will receive $7 million, with more money available across more titles.
EWCF also noted that “Individual Game Championships” will now carry their own prize pools, with combined prizing exceeding $39 million. The remainder of the prize pool will be distributed across special awards such as Club and Player Awards and through qualifying events hosted by partnered publishers and organizers.
The EWCF Club Partner Program and the Road to EWC qualification system will also return, supporting 40 top global esports organizations, as well as “publisher-led circuits, tournaments, and grassroots events provide the foundation for the Road to EWC.”
EWCF revealed that the following titles will be played at EWC this year: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 26, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8, Rainbow Six Siege X, Trackmania, and Valorant.
Finally, EWCF revealed the tentative schedule of competitions taking place in Riyadh from July to August:
Esports World Cup competitions are operated and produced by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group. Savvy is owned by the Saudi government, and its Chairman of the Board is the country’s de facto ruler, HRH Crown Prince MBS. EFG is home to tournament organizer ESL, competition platform FACEIT, and esports and gaming festival company DreamHack.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government, such as the Esports World Cup are frequently criticized for helping the government engage in so-called “sports washing,” or using various forms of entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, its mistreatment (and executions of) journalists, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.