The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has added Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK as official publishers for the first Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a new competition in which top esports players will compete while representing their countries rather than clubs. The event is positioned as the first large-scale recurring tournament to introduce national pride as a competitive factor in the esports industry.
The three publishers join founding partners EA, Krafton, Tencent and Ubisoft, which have been working with the EWCF to design the foundational structure, rules and competitive framework of the tournament. Organisers said the expanded group of publishers will collaborate on qualification paths and competition formats for each title to maintain competitive integrity and consistent standards across regions.
See also: ASUS ROG Becomes Official PC Provider for NACE Esports
According to the press release, the EWCF views the Nations Cup as a player-centric model and intends to build a platform that reflects the games and competitive environments that define professional esports careers. EWCF CEO Ralf Reichert said that the collaboration with publishers will allow the competition to “activate players worldwide and deliver a Nations Cup that feels earned for players and real for fans.”
The ENC will feature national teams from regions including North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Athletes will compete across both solo and team-based formats using a qualification system that merges global rankings, regional events and wildcard entries, including solidarity placements intended to support representation from emerging esports regions.
See also: Valve Signals Steam Machine Pricing Will Align With Gaming PCs, Not Consoles
The inaugural tournament will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026 before shifting to a rotating host model. Organisers expect the biennial schedule to provide consistency for players and esports organisations and to encourage long-term investment in national team programmes. Further information about the event is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Source: ENC