The organizers of the large-scale esports festival Esports World Cup have decided to abandon the hosting of the 2026 tournament in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). This was reported by GamesBeat citing its own sources in the industry.
According to journalists, the new venue for the Esports World Cup 2026 has been chosen as the capital of France β Paris. Last week, the event organizers already informed the participants of the EWC ecosystem about the upcoming relocation. The reason for this decision is said to be difficulties with logistics and flights to the Middle East. Official representatives of the festival are currently refusing to comment on these rumors.
Earlier, it was reported that the captain of the PARIVISION CS2 team, Jame Ali, commented on his team's exit from the LAN tournament PGL Astana 2026.
The Esports World Cup festival is traditionally held in Riyadh. In 2026, the championship is scheduled to feature competitions in 24 disciplines, including tournaments for CS2, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Trackmania. The total prize pool for EWC 2026 will be 75 million dollars. The competitions are set to take place from July 6 to August 23, 2026.