The Esports Foundation has decided to delay the inaugural Esports Nations Cup from November 2026 to November 2027, shifting a competition that the Saudi state-funded organization has been working on for a year and that had already completed most of its qualifying rounds.
The event is still set to take place in Riyadh. The postponement was made after careful consideration of the regional situation and discussions with key stakeholders, aiming to provide certainty and stability for National Teams, publishers, partners, and fans.
The announcement reassures that Saudi Arabia has the capability to host events, with major sporting and entertainment events proceeding as planned.
The decision to postpone comes at a late stage in the competition’s preparations. Twenty-four countries and territories qualified in Counter-Strike 2 on July 20, and 39 teams qualified in Apex Legends on Aug. 4, just two weeks before the postponement was announced. The Foundation had also revealed qualifier results or confirmed rosters in EA Sports FC, Rocket League, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Street Fighter 6, PUBG Mobile, and PUBG: Battlegrounds, as per its press releases.
Commercial activities were also progressing on schedule. The Foundation announced a partnership with adidas on July 30 to provide gear for every team at the event, and France unveiled the competition’s first national jersey on the Champs-Élysées on Aug. 2, 16 days before the postponement.
The Foundation plans to work with National Team Partners and publishers in the coming weeks to clarify the revised competition calendar, qualification pathways, and other implications of the new timeline. It remains unclear whether the results from the qualifiers will carry over to 2027 or if they will need to be redone.
The announcement also highlights the previous decision to move the 2026 Esports World Cup from Riyadh to Paris. This edition is currently ongoing and will conclude on Aug. 23. The Foundation’s Deputy CEO mentioned concerns about the regional situation and instability, which led to the event being relocated to France.
The announcement confirms that all existing commitments to National Team Partners under the ENC Development Fund will remain in place, but it does not mention the $20 million prize pool or the club release incentives. The Foundation’s CEO emphasized the importance of delivering the inaugural ENC under optimal conditions.
The postponement of the Esports Nations Cup adds to a list of events that have been removed from the Gulf calendar this year due to various reasons.
This delay follows a history of missed deadlines for the competition, which was conceived as a replacement for the Olympic Esports Games that were initially slated to be hosted in Saudi Arabia but ultimately faced cancellations and delays.
The Foundation’s ties to the Saudi state are direct, as it is funded through a sports grant from the Public Investment Fund. The organization’s name was changed by the government earlier this year, reflecting its close relationship with the state.
Many uncertainties remain regarding the future of the Esports Nations Cup, including the fate of the $45 million commitment, qualification results, publisher agreements, National Team Partner approvals, and the venue commitment in Riyadh.
While the postponement preserves the host city, it also results in a year-long delay for the competition, raising questions about its structure and sustainability through the extended timeline.