The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Monday the addition of EA Sports FC 26 will be a competitive title at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
The popular football title joins other previously announced titles including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Chess, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Trackmania, and Honor Kings. A total of 16 titles will be played at the nation vs. nation competition.
The EA Sports FC 26 competition, which kicks off on Nov. 27 and culminates in a final on Nov. 22, will feature a total of 128 players representing their respective nations, according EWCF.
The competition begins with a round-robin group stage featuring eight players per group across 16 groups (group matches are a best-of-one), with the top four players from each group advancing into the next round. The 64 players who qualify from the group stage advance to the play-offs, coming to a head with a grand final to determine who takes home the ENC gold medal. All playoff matches are a best-of-one.
One-Hundred-and-twenty-eight (128) players representing national teams will compete, with the top 64 players directly invited based on the official EA Sports FC Pro World Rankings, 56 players qualifying through regional qualifiers, and eight (8) players coming from Wildcard slots.
Direct invites will be determined by the ENC via the official EA SPORTS FC Pro World Rankings, limited to one player per nation. The cut-off date for determining direct invites to ENC is July 26, 2026.
Regional qualifiers will take place July 27 – Aug. 2 Regional qualifiers will feature two stages: an open in-game ladder and a second stage consisting of both a Swiss round and a double-elimination bracket, hosted in each of the following regions:
- Africa
- North Asia
- South Asia
- Western Europe
- Eastern Europe
- North Latin America
- South Latin America
- North America
- Oceania
- Middle East
More from EWCF on direct invites:
“Nations with one player directly invited through the ranking system can only qualify one more player through the regional qualifiers. For nations without a direct invite, up to two players can make it through the regional qualifiers. This will guarantee that a minimum of 64 nations will be represented at the ENC’s EA SPORTS FC tournament to ensure broad global representation at the event.“
The Esports Nations Cup is set to take place Nov. 2 – 29, in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. The competition is being produced by the EWCF, which is funded through a so-called “sports grant” by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
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.