PARIS : Hosted at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the seven-week tournament will run until August 23 and feature 25 competitions across 24 major esports titles, with a record-breaking prize pool of $75 million, approximately Rs 716 crore.

The event follows what organisers described as the largest qualification programme in esports history, with more than 1.5 million players competing through 330 Road to EWC tournaments, publisher leagues and international circuits to secure a place on gaming’s biggest stage.

Unlike traditional esports tournaments that focus only on individual game winners, the Esports World Cup also features a Club Championship, rewarding organisations for consistent performance across multiple titles. A total of $30 million, approximately Rs 286 crore, from the overall prize pool has been allocated to the Club Championship standings.

Defending champions Team Falcons will be aiming to retain their title after back-to-back victories in 2024 and 2025.

“Competitive gaming has always had great players, great games and unforgettable champions. The Esports World Cup brings them together in one defining annual stage,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “For seven weeks in Paris, every title crowns its own winner, but every result also contributes to a bigger race: the Club Championship. That is what makes EWC different. It rewards not only individual brilliance, but the depth, consistency and ambition of an entire Club.”

The tournament features some of the biggest names in competitive gaming, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends, VALORANT, PUBG MOBILE, EA SPORTS FC 26, Chess, Fortnite, Rocket League, Tekken 8 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, among others.

Adding to the global profile of the event, football icon Cristiano Ronaldo and chess legend Magnus Carlsen have returned as Global Ambassadors, highlighting the tournament’s push to connect traditional sport, esports and global entertainment.

The opening ceremony also underlined France’s growing focus on esports. French Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life Marina Ferrari described hosting the first international edition of the Esports World Cup as “a source of immense pride” and said France would unveil its national esports development strategy for 2026-2030 later this year.

HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Board Member of the Esports Foundation, said the competition had grown into “a global platform that brings people together through gaming,” while thanking France and President Emmanuel Macron for supporting the event.

Organisers are aiming to make EWC 2026 the most widely watched esports tournament in history. The competition will be broadcast through more than 100 global television and streaming partners across over 160 countries, with more than 7,000 hours of live content planned during the seven-week event.

Coverage will be available in more than 40 languages, while the tournament’s creator programme has expanded to 5,000 official co-streamers, a 42 per cent increase year-on-year, bringing the action closer to millions of fans through digital platforms and regional communities.

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