Esports World Cup 2026: Schedule, games, format, prize pool and everything you need to know

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The Esports World Cup (EWC) has firmly established itself as a staple event in the global esports season, and in 2026 the world’s largest competitive gaming festival returns for its third edition. What started as an ambitious multi-game showcase has grown into a major stop on the esports calendar, bringing together top teams, leading players and global audiences while balancing competition with entertainment.

Every year, the organisers push the envelope, introducing fresh game titles, expanded tournament formats, updated Club Partner Program benefits and revised prize pool structures — and the upcoming EWC 2026 is no exception. With new competitive lineups, expanded qualifications and integrated global esports ecosystems, this edition is shaping up to be one of the most consequential yet.

Whether you’re a fan, content creator, industry professional or analyst, here’s everything you need to know about the Esports World Cup 2026 in this complete guide from Esports Charts — from games and formats to schedules, rankings and what to watch for throughout the season ahead.

What is the Esports World Cup 2026?

The Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC 2026) is the third edition of the world’s largest multi-title esports event, bringing together elite players, top organizations and global audiences across dozens of competitive games. Organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), the tournament has quickly become a fixed point in the annual esports calendar, positioned as a summer-long festival rather than a single standalone competition.

Unlike traditional esports events focused on one title or circuit, the Esports World Cup operates as a unified ecosystem. Individual tournaments across different games are connected through the Club Championship, a cross-title competition that rewards consistent performance by esports organizations throughout the event. 

Esports World Cup 2026 dates and location

The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place from July 6 to August 23, 2026, continuing the event’s multi-week festival format that spans most of the summer esports calendar. Rather than compressing competition into a single weekend, the extended schedule allows individual game tournaments to unfold with their own spotlight, while feeding into the overarching Club Championship throughout the event.

Once again, the tournament will be hosted in Riyadh, which has become the permanent home of the Esports World Cup. This centralized setup enables large-scale production, on-site fan experiences and parallel competitions without overlapping each other excessively.

Games at Esports World Cup 2026

The Esports World Cup 2026 lineup introduces targeted but meaningful changes compared to the previous edition. The most notable addition is Fortnite, which joins the EWC program for the first time and immediately becomes one of the event’s highest-profile titles. Meanwhile, the Call of Duty slot has been updated to reflect the latest release, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 replacing Black Ops 6 in the competitive lineup. 

Esports World Cup 2026 tournaments and circuit integrations

Most competitions at the Esports World Cup 2026 are staged as standalone EWC tournaments, created specifically for the festival and operating under its branding and competitive structure. In total, the event will feature 25 tournaments across 24 game titles, with results from each competition contributing to the overall Club Championship standings.

At the same time, several established circuit events are fully integrated into the EWC program, retaining their original identities while becoming part of the broader festival. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will once again host the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2026 and the MLBB Women’s Invitational 2026, while Fortnite is represented through the Reload Elite Series Championship. PUBG Mobile also returns with the PUBG Mobile World Cup 2026, continuing its role as one of the festival’s flagship mobile esports events.

This hybrid structure allows EWC 2026 to function both as a collection of high-profile standalone tournaments and as a global hub for major publisher-led competitions, all under a single, unified esports festival.

Esports World Cup 2026 prizes

The Esports World Cup 2026 will once again operate with a total prize pool exceeding $70 million USD, keeping it among the most lucrative events in the history of competitive gaming. As with previous editions, that figure combines individual tournament prize pools with payouts tied to the Club Championship, rewarding both single-title success and cross-game consistency by organizations.

The full prize distribution by title has not yet been finalized, with additional details expected closer to the start of the event. However, several key updates are already confirmed: 

• The Counter-Strike tournament will see its prize pool increase by $750,000 compared to last year, further strengthening its position as one of the flagship competitions of the festival. 

• Rainbow Six Siege event will now award a Six Invitational qualification slot to its winner, adding significant competitive stakes beyond the immediate prize money.

Esports World Cup 2026 Club Program

The Esports World Cup Club Program is designed to elevate the competition beyond individual tournaments by focusing on organizational performance across multiple titles. Instead of rewarding one-off results, the program emphasizes consistency, depth, and cross-game competitiveness, with clubs earning recognition and benefits based on how they perform throughout the entire Esports World Cup. It effectively turns EWC into a true club-based championship, where success is measured across the full scope of the festival.

For the 2026 edition, a total of 40 clubs will be featured in the program. The first confirmed participants are the top eight organizations from the previous Esports World Cup, which automatically secured their places based on overall performance. These clubs are Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro, All Gamers and Weibo Gaming.

The remaining club slots will be determined through the Final Selection process, which evaluates organizations based on competitive performance, ecosystem presence, and overall contribution to the esports landscape. The results of this selection are scheduled to be announced no later than January 30, 2026, completing the full list of clubs set to compete for Club Championship honors at EWC 2026.

Where to watch the Esports World Cup 2026

The Esports World Cup 2026 is expected to receive broad, multi-platform coverage, with dozens of channels broadcasting different parts of the festival. Official EWC streams will once again serve as the primary hubs across major platforms, including TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube, while additional coverage will come from secondary EWC-operated channels as well as publisher-owned broadcasts tied to individual game ecosystems.

Community co-streaming is also expected to play a significant role. Based on last year’s approach, organizers are likely to run a curated co-casting selection process, allowing approved creators to rebroadcast matches under specific guidelines. This model has previously helped expand reach across regions and languages, and there are no indications that EWC plans to scale it back in 2026.

In addition to online broadcasts, the event will be fully accessible on-site in Riyadh, with live audiences present throughout the festival. Details around tickets, venue access, and fan experiences have not yet been announced. For replays, highlights and full match VODs, viewers should follow the official EWC channels on each platform, where archived content and post-event coverage will be published as the tournament progresses.