Esports World Cup 2026: $75 Million Prize Pool And Full Game Lineup In Riyadh; Chess Returns After Strong Debut

Esports World Cup 2026 is set to return to Riyadh with a total prize pool of $75 million between July 6 and August 23, 2026. Organisers expect more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries.

Competitors will contest 25 tournaments across 24 titles, with results combining to decide the next Esports World Cup Club Champion.

The event is positioned as a large multi-title competition on the global esports calendar. Esports World Cup Foundation plans a third year of cross-game play at scale, bringing together leading Clubs, top players, major games and fans worldwide. The shared schedule is designed to act as a central reference point for the international esports season.

The 2026 Club Championship remains the flagship cross-game contest and carries $30 million for the top 24 Clubs, an increase of $3 million compared with the previous year. The champion Club is due to receive $7 million, while higher prizes will be shared across the remaining finishing positions. Organisers state the overall prize funding underlines the event's place among global sports competitions.

Esports World Cup 2026 prize category	Amount (USD)	Details
Total prize pool	$75 million	All tournaments and awards combined
Club Championship	$30 million	Shared among top 24 Clubs
Individual Game Championships	Over $39 million	Prize pools for each title

"The life-changing prize pool exists to support the people at the heart of esports: the players and the Clubs that invest in them year after year," said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. "EWC is different because of the Club Championship. One title crowns a champion. EWC crowns the ultimate cross-game Club Champion. "

Individual Game Championships will be funded separately, with combined prize allocations exceeding $39 million. The remaining portion of the $75 million will go to Club and Player Awards. These include MVP awards for every tournament and the Jafonso Award, which recognises players or Clubs that secure a Game Championship after progressing through a Last Chance Qualifier stage.

Esports World Cup 2026 action will run across seven weeks in multiple arenas in Riyadh. The schedule is planned so that several Game Championships can take place at the same time in different venues. Organisers say the coordinated format aims to improve the live experience in the city and create stronger viewing options for global audiences following multiple games.

Twenty-four titles will feature, including new additions Fortnite and Trackmania. The announced lineup consists of Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 26, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Fortnite, Free Fire and Honor of Kings.

The remaining Esports World Cup 2026 games are League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X, Trackmania and VALORANT. These titles are expected to showcase leading Clubs, established stars and emerging talent on stage in Riyadh during the summer.

Esports World Cup 2026 qualification and ecosystem programmes

Beyond direct prize funding, Esports World Cup Foundation plans to continue a range of ecosystem support programmes linked to Esports World Cup 2026. The Club Partner Program is scheduled to return, with backing for 40 leading esports organisations worldwide. In parallel, the Road to EWC system will use publisher-led circuits, tournaments and grassroots activities as structured qualification routes.

Qualifying events operated by partner publishers and third-party organisers ahead of the Riyadh main event will decide many participants. The Jafonso Award will highlight successful Last Chance Qualifier stories. Tournament MVP awards will acknowledge standout individual performances. These mechanisms sit alongside the Club Championship and Game Championships, giving Clubs and players multiple targets during the 2026 season.

Esports World Cup 2026 tickets and global reach

Tickets for Esports World Cup 2026 are scheduled to go on sale from January 22, 2026 through esportsworldcup.com and international ticketing partners Webook in India, Damai and Tixr. Early Bird options are set to include Weekly Access Passes, Premium Tournament Passes and Hospitality Packages for the Esports Embassy, described as the event's premium on-site hospitality area.

The latest announcement follows the Esports World Cup 2025 edition, which organisers describe as a major success. The 2025 event attracted 750 million viewers worldwide and produced 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of 7.98 million during the League of Legends at EWC '25 tournament. Coverage ran on 28 platforms, with 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages.

Across Esports World Cup 2025, 25 tournaments over 24 games featured more than 2,000 players representing around 200 Clubs from over 100 countries. The Esports World Cup and its accompanying Festival in Riyadh drew more than 3 million visitors during the seven-week period, figures that provide the baseline against which the 2026 edition will be measured.