The 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup is taking place in Paris, marking a first outside Saudi Arabia and promising major economic benefits.
The Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris has been hosting one of the largest video game competitions in the world since July 6 and until August 23, the Esports World Cup (EWC), sometimes presented as the Esports World Cup. This is the first time that this tournament, of which this is the third edition, has been organized outside Saudi Arabia. It brings together 2,000 professional players from 200 clubs (including Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp and Team Vitality), representing more than 100 countries, who will compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games (League of Legends, Call of Duty, Valorant, Rocket League, Street Fighter, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, EA Sports FC, Counter-Strike, Fortnite…) for seven weeks. The total prize pool, $75 million, is unparalleled in the history of video games.
An extraordinary organization and records already broken
The event was not to take place in Paris, but in Saudi Arabia. It was relocated to France in May, due to the conflict in the Middle East, the result of an unprecedented partnership between the French Ministry of Sports and the Esports Foundation. This non-profit foundation is, however, financed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (Public Investment Fund), a setup which has earned the event accusations of “sportswashing” which the relocation does not dissipate.
The organizers are already claiming “100,000 tickets sold in Paris, which represents 2.5 times more tickets sold than in Riyadh on the same day, a year ago”. The economic benefits are estimated at 600 million euros, approximately three times more than the Cannes Film Festival. The 2025 edition brought together more than 3 million visitors to Riyadh and accumulated 750 million views online; the Parisian edition promises new records.
Paris, new showcase for esports
The organizers pulled out all the stops for the opening ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday July 8 at the Seine Musicale, in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), with Aya Nakamura, Theodora and DJ Snake on the program. The Porte de Versailles exhibition center has already hosted events for the 2024 Olympic Games and Paris Games Week. “Paris has hosted some of the biggest sporting events in the world and is among the world’s great capitals of sport, culture and entertainment,” said Ralf Reichert, head of the Esports Foundation. “With the passion of French fans and the strong support we enjoy locally, we are excited to bring together the global esports community there.” For Marina Ferrari, Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life, this choice demonstrates that France has become “an essential esports nation”.
A booming sector in France
Esports is booming in France. According to the latest France Esport barometer, dating from 2023, 6 million French people consider themselves to be esports practitioners, i.e. one in eight Internet users over the age of 15, and 11.8 million as practitioners or consumers. A study by the media and events group Webedia, published this year, indicates that “62% of 15-64 year olds believe that gaming and esports are worlds that have created memories for them forever (80% among 25-34 year olds)”.
