The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Saturday that Chess has been named an official competitive title of its international nations vs. nations competition, the Esports Nations Cup (ENC).
Facilitated through its deal with Chess.com, Chess joins other previously announced titles Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, and Trackmania.
The chess competitions at Esports Nations Cup 2026 will feature 128 players representing their respective nations competing across a group stage and playoffs, and finishing with a grand final series between the top two competitors.
The Chess tournament begins on Nov. 2, and concludes with the playoff final on No. 8. The opening tournament will feature 128 players in a round-robin group stage, featuring 16 groups of eight players, with the top four players from each group advancing to the next stage. The second stage will consist of 64 players competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. All group stage matches will be best-of-two, while round robins of 64 and 32 matches will be best-of-two. The quarterfinals and beyond will be best-of-four. Finally, Armageddon games will be used as tie-breakers and the event will be played in a Rapid 10+0 time control format.
ENC will determine its direct invites using the official CCT rankings, limited to one player per nation. The Titled Tuesday Spring Split will also be used as an additional tie-breaker should there not be 64 unique nations featured in the CCT rankings. The cut-off date for determining direct invites to ENC 2026 is May 26.
ENC says that Chess will feature two regional qualifiers in each region, taking place June 6-7 and June 13-14. Each Qualifier will consist of Swiss stage and a double-elimination stage, with four players from each qualifier making it to ENC, giving a total of eight players per region. Qualifiers will be operated by Chess.com, and hosted in each of the following regions:
- North America (8 slots)
- South America (8)
- Africa (8)
- Western Europe (8)
- Eastern Europe (8
- Middle East + India + Central Asia (8)
- East Asia + Southeast Asia + Oceania (8)
Each nation is allowed to have up to two representatives at the event. Should a nation have a player directly invited through the rankings, only one more player from that nation can make it through the regional qualifier.
Projects backed by the Saudi government are often accused of being used for “sports washing,” or as a cover for the government to gloss over 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.