Esports Nations Cup

What Esports Nations Cup does

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is the first global, recurring, multi-title national esports competition, debuting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026 as a four-week festival across 16 game titles (APEX Legends, Chess.com, Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, EA SPORTS FC 26, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Trackmania, and Valorant). Operated by the Esports Foundation (EF), a non-profit, and hosted and organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), ENC complements the club-based Esports World Cup by enabling professional players to compete under their country or territory flags rather than for clubs, with qualification structured across seven global regions via direct invites, open online qualifiers, and solidarity slots.

The platform architecture consists of a proprietary National Ranking System that aggregates player points from regional and international competitions across multiple titles; a Multi-Regional Qualifier Framework spanning seven regions with online qualifiers feeding the main event; and a Player Eligibility Verification System enforcing 1-year continuous citizenship and 6-month post-event validity. FACEIT and Start.gg provide online qualifier infrastructure, while Twitch (@enc) and YouTube (@ENC_EN) deliver broadcast distribution. A National Team Partner and Manager framework covers 100+ countries and territories, with 630+ applications received from 150+ countries in the inaugural cycle.

ENC's revenue mechanics span ticket sales via webook.com (weekly passes and individual title tickets), broadcast and media rights held by the Esports Foundation, and national commercial partnerships. The $20 million annual ENC Development Fund and $45 million prize pool (with a $5 million club incentive fund) flow primarily as payments to players, clubs, and national partners rather than recognized topline. Customer segments include professional esports players across 16 titles, National Team Partners (NGOs, government federations, commercial agencies), National Team Managers, esports clubs compensated for player release, and ticket-buying fans attending the Riyadh festival.

Name

Esports Nations Cup

Legal name

Esports Nations Cup (ENC)

Website

https://esportsnationscup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Esports Nations Cup is a biennial, multi-title global esports competition debuting in Riyadh in November 2026, where professional players compete for their countries and territories across 16 game titles under a unified framework backed by the Esports Foundation and the Esports World Cup Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Esports Tournament Events

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Esports Festival & Multi-Title Events (MPAKANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Esports Leagues & Circuits (MPAFADAA), Major Championship Events & World Finals (MPAKANAE), Online/Remote Esports Tournaments (MPAGANAH), Esports Tournament Sponsorships & Partnerships (MPAGANAM)

Keywords

• Esports tournament events
• National team esports
• Multi-title esports competition
• Competitive gaming league
• Esports event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: ENC generates revenue through ticket sales for the month-long esports festival in Riyadh, including weekly passes and premium tournament access. Tickets are sold through webook.com platform for various game title competitions across four weeks.
2. Broadcast and Media Rights: Global broadcast and competition rights are held by Esports Foundation (EF). National Team Partners receive defined local activation rights for content distribution within their territories.
3. ENC Development Fund: A $20 million annual Development Fund supporting national team programs, travel, logistics, training camps, bootcamps, community initiatives, exhibition matches, watch parties, national team tours, and operational infrastructure development.
4. Prize Money Distribution: Prize money distributed to players and coaches based on tournament placement. Total prize pool of $45 million for ENC 2026. Clubs receive 40% of player prize money if their players reach top 16, providing a $5 million fund incentive.
5. National Commercial Partnerships: National Team Partners can sign national sponsors within a defined framework. All commercial activations must align with EWCF frameworks. National jerseys feature global and regional sponsors contributing to ENC Development Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Esports Nations Cup is a global nation-based esports competition that debuted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026, structured as a four-week festival across 16 game titles. Players compete under their country or territory flag rather than for clubs, with qualification through regional online qualifiers, ranking-based invites, and solidarity slots across seven global regions. The competition is supported by a $20 million annual Development Fund, a $45 million prize pool, and a National Team Partner governance framework covering 100+ countries and territories.

Product overview

The Esports Nations Cup is a single unified esports event — a global nation-based competitive platform that debuted with its inaugural 2026 edition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (November 2–29, 2026). The offering spans 16 esports titles (APEX Legends, Chess.com, Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, EA SPORTS FC 26, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Trackmania, and Valorant) across four themed competition weeks, supported by a companion qualification pathway (Road to ENC), a $20M+ annual Development Fund for national team infrastructure, and a National Team Partner/Manager governance framework covering 100+ countries and territories. Fan-facing offerings include weekly tournament passes and live event attendance via WeBook, while players compete for a stated $45 million prize pool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC26) The inaugural edition of the Esports Nations Cup is a four-week, multi-title, nation-based esports competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026, featuring 16 leading esports titles including APEX Legends, Chess.com, Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, EA SPORTS FC 26, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Trackmania, and Valorant. It is designed for elite professional esports players competing under their national flags, with a $45 million total prize pool.
• Road to ENC Qualifiers A standalone qualification pathway for the ENC Finals that combines regional online qualifiers, ranking-based direct invites, and solidarity/wildcard slots across all 16 game titles spanning seven global regions. Open to eligible players and teams via publisher-sanctioned platforms such as FACEIT and Start.gg.
• Weekly ENC Pass and Tournament Passes Standalone ticket products sold through webook.com that grant fans in-person access to Boulevard City in Riyadh for live matches, creator appearances, live entertainment, and fireworks during the four-week ENC festival, available as weekly all-access passes and per-game-title tournament passes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 630+ applications from 150 countries/territories in first application cycle
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Riot GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Publisher of Valorant featured at ENC. Ranking system aggregates points from VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) competitions including Masters London and other regional/international events for qualification.
• Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF)coreOthers · 25 March 2026Parent organization hosting and organizing ENC 2026. EWCF selected National Team Partners and National Team Managers through two-phase application process, manages ENC Development Fund, and governs the unified national framework.
• Team LiquidflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Joint National Team Partner with Hypersolid for Netherlands. Team Liquid brings 25-year legacy as 'West's most successful esports organization' with elite infrastructure. Partnering with Hypersolid for digital presence and brand experience expertise.
• HypersolidflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Joint National Team Partner with Team Liquid for Netherlands. Global technology and brand experience company with track record shaping digital presence of Dutch icons like Max Verstappen, KNVB, AFC Ajax.
• KOI, GiantX, Team Heretics, FCBarcelona Esports, UCAMflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Supporting partners for Lastlap SL (Spain National Team Partner). Collective of Spain's most established esports organizations with over a decade of activity, contributing to professionalization and institutional recognition of Spanish esports.
• Esports Wales, Fnatic, Scottish Esports, The Football AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Supporting partners for British Esports Federation (Great Britain National Team Partner). Multi-stakeholder support including national sports federation, professional clubs, and regional esports bodies.
• Pengurus Besar Esports Indonesia (PBESI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Official National Team Partner for Indonesia. PBESI is the official national esports organization regulating all recognized esports activities, represented in 34 provinces and 514 regencies and cities.
• FACEITcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 March 2026Platform partner for hosting regional qualifiers across multiple game titles including Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG Mobile. Provides online competitive infrastructure for ENC qualification events.
• Start.ggcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 March 2026Platform partner for hosting regional qualifiers including Street Fighter 6 and Rocket League. Provides tournament management and registration infrastructure for ENC qualification events.
• Chess.comcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. Chess.com is one of the 16 confirmed game titles in the competition, selected in close collaboration with industry-leading publishers. ENC features Chess.com as one of the featured titles in the inaugural event.
• MOONTON GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. MOONTON Games develops Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), confirmed as one of the 16 game titles. Publishers collaborate on game-specific rules, eligibility, and competitive integrity.
• SNKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. SNK develops Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, featured as one of the 16 titles. ENC governance is aligned with game partners who retain authority over game-specific rules.
• Electronic ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. Electronic Arts provides FC 26 (EA SPORTS FC) as one of the 16 featured titles. Publisher alignment ensures calendar coordination to avoid conflicts with club competitions.
• KraftoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. Krafton develops PUBG and PUBG Mobile, both confirmed as featured titles. ENC qualification and ranking systems aggregate points from Krafton-sanctioned competitions.
• UbisoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Game publisher partner for ENC 2026. Ubisoft provides Rainbow Six: Siege and Trackmania as two of the 16 featured titles. Publisher retains authority over game-specific competitive rules and eligibility criteria.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BLAST: Tournament operator for CS2 and other titles with established production and broadcast capabilities. Comparable in event-operations scale and publisher dependency to ENC's per-title execution layer.
• Olympic Esports Games (IOC): The IOC's recently launched Olympic Esports Games is the largest institutional entrant into nation-based esports. It competes directly with ENC for legitimacy as the 'official' national-team stage and for publisher calendar real estate.
• Asian Games Esports: Multi-title national-team esports competition hosted under the Olympic Council of Asia framework. Competes for the same publisher alignment, national-federation partnerships, and continental viewership that ENC targets in Asia.

Direct peers

• International Esports Federation (IESF): Operates the World Esports Championship, the longest-running national-team esports competition. IESF is the closest analog to ENC's nation-based format and competes for the same 'official' national-team positioning and federation partnerships.
• Global Esports Federation (GEF): IOC-recognized body running national-team esports events including the Global Esports Games. Competes directly with ENC and IESF for federation legitimacy and publisher partnership slots in the national-team esports calendar.
• Esports World Cup: Run by the same parent (Esports World Cup Foundation / EWCF) in Riyadh, the Esports World Cup is the club-based counterpart to ENC. Both share infrastructure, governance, and funding sources and operate multi-title formats targeting overlapping player and publisher ecosystems.

Regional players

• PGL: Major international esports tournament operator with deep experience in CS, DOTA and other ENC titles. Comparable as a production-grade tournament operator that ENC's per-title execution must match in quality.

Emerging players

• PUBG Nations Cup: Krafton-organized national-team PUBG competition. Operates the same nation-based format that ENC now applies across multiple titles, and its existence shows publisher-owned national tournaments can compete for calendar and audience.
• World Electronic Sports Games (WESG): Historically operated by Alibaba's AliSports as a multi-title national-team esports competition. Represents the prior generation of nation-based esports events and is a comparable reference point for ENC's positioning and business model.

Others

• Riot Games (Valorant Champions Tour / League of Legends Worlds): Publisher-owned premier circuits for two of ENC's headline titles. Riot's VCT and Worlds set the calendar that ENC must align around, and Riot's partnership decisions materially shape ENC's competitive value.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/enc_en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ENC_EN
• Facebookfacebook.com/EsportsNationsCup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Esports Nations Cup