EWC 2026 reportedly moving to Paris

The Esports World Cup (EWC) Foundation’s third annual mega-event is just around the corner, set to take place from 6 July until 23 August 2026. Featuring a whopping 24 esports titles and a combined prize pool of $75 million (roughly R1.25 billion), it’s no secret that EWC 2026 is an incredibly exciting event for all involved.

With hundreds of teams and players competing, the event is supposed to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past several months, you’ll know that there’s an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

That’s why quite a solid rumor is floating around that the EWC 2026 could move to Paris, France.

To quote GamesBeat: “Over the past week, the event’s organizers have informed stakeholders across the Esports World Cup ecosystem that this year’s iteration of the event will instead take place in Paris. GamesBeat has confirmed the move with three individuals who work in the esports space and were privy to the Esports World Cup’s communications with stakeholders, all of whom requested anonymity to avoid damaging their business relationships with the event.”

You can check out the full GamesBeat report here. It is important to note that an EWC representative declined to comment on the plans to move to Paris this year. Therefore, we suggest that you always take rumors such as this one, however credible they may be, with a grain of salt until such time as an official announcement has been made by the organizers.

Whatever the case may be, we’ll definitely cover the biggest events, results, and happenings surrounding the EWC 2026 mega-event and the upcoming Nations Cup.

Header image via EWC Foundation.