The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Wednesday that it has signed a deal with Epic Games to operate Fortnite and Rocket League Tournaments during Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC 2026). While the EWCF ran Fortnite and Rocket League tournaments in 2025, they were not sanctioned or endorsed by Epic Games—that changes in 2026.
Financial terms of this new deal were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, EWCF will operate the Fortnite Reload Elite Series, the official tournament series for Fortnite Reload, a fast-paced 40-player battle royale game that is all about carrying the squad to Victory (if you are not familiar with it, you can learn more here). The Reload Elite Series online competition will feature “Open Rounds, Play-Ins, Heats, and Finals,” according to EWC’s announcement. Finals will be broadcast on Fortnite Competitive channels, with standing in the competition helping to determine the top 40 Duos that will advance to the Reload Elite Series Championship at EWC, where players will compete in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a share of a $1 million USD prize pool and Esports World Cup Club Championship points.
Details on EWCF’s plans for Rocket League were not revealed at the time of writing, but we assume more information on that competition is forthcoming…
“Fortnite has established one of the largest global player communities and continues to influence gaming, entertainment and digital culture far beyond the competitive space,” said Fabian Scheuermann, chief games officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Hosting the Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship at EWC introduces a new global, multi-year competitive ecosystem at the world’s biggest esports event. With a massive fanbase around the world, and particularly in Saudi Arabia, we look forward with excitement to welcoming the Fortnite community, including fans, pros, and creators to Riyadh next summer.”
EWC 20265 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the summer of 2026 (typically from the end of July to near the end of August). More details about the competition can be found at esportsworldcup.com.
The EWCF and the EWC are all directly funded by a sports grant provided by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.
EWC 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 EWC 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.