by National teams, 100+ countries and 1.500 players – the gaming scene is entering a new era.
Esports is getting a completely new format of global competition. Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is billed as the largest worldwide gathering of national teams in gaming history, with the first edition scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh.
Unlike previous tournaments that were focused on clubs and organizations, ENC brings the concept of national teams, which brings esports closer to the format of world championships in traditional sports.
What will the competition look like?
- Participation is planned for more than 100 countries.
- About 1.500 players will perform in different disciplines.
- The program includes at least 15 esports titles.
- Qualifications will take place through global rankings, regional championships, wildcard positions and places reserved for countries with less developed scenes.
- Prize fund It will be distributed evenly across games, aiming to achieve a fair balance between different esports titles.
The organization of the competition is supported by leading publishers such as EA, Krafton, Tencent and Ubisoft, which guarantees the inclusion of popular titles and standardized formats.
What does this mean for esports?
With the introduction of national teams, esports gains several new dimensions:
- National identity – players are performing for their countries, which brings an additional layer of fan emotion.
- Professional structure – the biennial format enables planning, investment and continuity.
- Global inclusion – the qualification system is designed to include less developed scenes.
In this way, esports is increasingly taking on the characteristics of traditional sports - from national teams to cycles of major international competitions.
Potential challenges
The ENC will need to address several key issues:
- Institutional coordination – already exists IESF (International Esports Federation) with over 150 members, so the relationship between ENC and existing structures will be important for the future of the global scene.
- Fair team selection - it will be necessary to establish clear criteria for the selection of national teams.
- Scene balance – differences in resources and experience between already developed and smaller esports markets could be pronounced.
But certainly Esports Nations Cup represents an attempt to position esports even closer to traditional sports models. If the concept succeeds, it could become the central event of the global calendar - a counterpart to the world championships in football or basketball.
For now, it is clear that ENC brings a new dimension to competition, but it remains to be seen how sustainable, inclusive, and accepted this format will be by the esports community around the world.
