Esports Nations Cup 2026: Countries and Players in Riyadh

The Esports World Cup Foundation will stage the inaugural Esports Nations Cup in Riyadh from Nov. 2 to Nov. 29, 2026. The foundation is working with game publishers and has set a total prize pool of $20 million for national teams and individual representatives across more than a dozen titles.

Key events and schedules released so far include Dota 2 (Nov. 2–8; 32 teams; $1.5 million), Rocket League (Nov. 2–8; 48 teams; $1.32 million), Valorant (Nov. 8–15; 32 teams; $1.5 million), Counter-Strike 2 (Nov. 10–15; 24 teams; $1.32 million) and EA Sports FC (Nov. 17–22; 128 national players; $600,000). Organizers have also confirmed PUBG: Battlegrounds (Nov. 11–15; 24 teams; $1.12 million), PUBG Mobile (Nov. 3–8; 32 teams; $1.32 million), Rainbow Six Siege (Nov. 18–22; 24 teams; $1.32 million), Honor of Kings (Nov. 24–29; 24 teams; $1.32 million), Trackmania (Nov. 19–22; 32 players; $250,000), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (Nov. 12–15; 32 players; $250,000), Street Fighter 6 (Nov. 18–22; 24 teams; $880,000) and a chess tournament (Nov. 2–8; 128 players; $600,000).

Organizers have named national teams for some titles and individual representatives for others. Rocket League entries include France, Saudi Arabia, the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Morocco, Denmark, Argentina, Finland and Pakistan. Rainbow Six Siege confirmed teams from Brazil, France, the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, Indonesia, China, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Poland and Portugal. Many slots across events remain listed as TBD while national qualifiers and publisher nominations finish.

The chess competition has one of the most complete individual lists. Confirmed national representatives include Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, alongside other grandmasters and strong international players.

The Esports World Cup Foundation described the event as a country-based competition added to the global esports calendar and said it is coordinating with publishers to assemble national teams and nominated players. Organizers scheduled overlapping and sequential tournaments to concentrate multiple finals in Riyadh during November and allocated the $20 million purse across events, with top-level prize pools ranging from $1.32 million to $1.5 million for several titles.

Organizers will continue to update official entries as qualifiers conclude and publishers confirm nominations. Final rosters and schedules are expected to be posted on the event website ahead of the Nov. 2 start.