Esports World Cup 2026 moves to Paris from Riyadh, keeps $75 million prize pool

Esports World Cup 2026 will relocate from Riyadh to Paris after the Esports Foundation confirmed the move on May 20, citing security risks linked to the Iran conflict and broader Middle East instability. The seven-week event will keep its $75 million prize pool, run from July 6 or 7 through August 23, and bring together more than 2,000 players from over 200 clubs across 25 events covering 24 games. Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will host the main competition, with a performance event at La Seine Musicale on July 8. It will be the first edition staged outside Saudi Arabia, though the Saudi Public Investment Fund remains the financial backer. France Télévisions, France’s public broadcaster, will air daily highlights through a segment titled “La Minute EWC,” produced by N.E.O. (New Esports Org.), which brokered the partnership. The move also places the tournament under France’s PSAN digital-asset licensing framework, creating a clearer regulated route for licensed crypto firms to pursue sponsorships such as jersey placements, branded content and potentially booth presence. Older reporting said Coinbase and Bitget had entered the sponsorship mix and were reportedly facilitating prediction markets tied to match outcomes, particularly for VALORANT, while newer reporting said no major crypto sponsorships had been announced and that the 2026 event would not include fan tokens or other on-chain components.