The Esports World Cup 2026 is heading to Paris for the first time, after two successful editions in Riyadh that attracted over 3 million visitors. The tournament runs from July 6 to August 23 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, with an opening ceremony on July 8 at La Seine Musicale featuring DJ Snake, Aya Nakamura, and Theodora.
This year's edition features 25 tournaments across 24 games, including League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Tekken 8, Rocket League, Apex Legends, EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Fortnite (with a new 'Reload' mode), and Trackmania making its debut. Chess returns for the second year. Over 2,000 players from more than 200 clubs across 100 countries will compete for a record $75 million prize pool, with $39 million distributed across individual tournaments and $30 million for the Club Championship, where the winning team takes $7 million.
Tickets are available via the official website (esportsworldcup.com), with separate passes for each tournament and the opening ceremony. The Esports World Cup Foundation confirmed that Riyadh remains the long-term strategic host, with the tournament returning to Saudi Arabia in 2027.