The Esports World Cup 2026 will be held in Paris from July 6 to August 23, marking the first time the tournament will be staged outside Saudi Arabia.The announcement was made by the Esports Foundation, which said the decision followed an “extended evaluation process” and was made in light of the current regional situation.The annual tournament, widely regarded as the largest esports event in the world by prize money and number of titles represented, has been hosted in Riyadh since its inception in 2024. The event evolved from the Gamers8 festival launched in 2022 and was formally established in 2023 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of the kingdom’s wider ambitions to become a global gaming and esports hub.“Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Ralf Reichert, chief executive of Esports Foundation. “Riyadh is the home of EWC and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport.”He added that Paris was selected because of its reputation as an international sporting and entertainment destination, as well as for the local support shown for the event.The 2026 competition will feature more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from more than 100 countries competing across 24 games and 25 tournaments. Organisers said the event will once again offer a record-breaking prize pool of about $75 million.The Esports World Cup has rapidly expanded since replacing Gamers8. The inaugural contest featured a combined prize pool of $62.5 million, which grew to $71 million by 2025.Organisers say the 2025 tournament attracted more than 750 million viewers globally and generated more than 350 million hours watched across 28 platforms, 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages.The competition has also continued to broaden its scope in recent years. The 2025 event introduced chess to the tournament line-up, with Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen serving as the event’s official chess ambassador. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo was named global ambassador for the tournament.Further details about the Paris venue are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.