Saudi-backed esports foundation to debut Nations Cup in Riyadh next year

By Zaheer Kachwala

Aug 23 (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed foundation behind the Esports World Cup is betting on national pride to fuel its next phase of growth with a new biennial tournament starting next year.

The Esports Nations Cup will debut at the end of 2026 in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, the Esports World Cup (EWC) Foundation said on Saturday, without naming the participants.

Unlike the annual world cup with its club-based format, the new tournament will feature national teams and be held every two years.

The cup is part of Saudi's "Vision 2030" strategy to diversify beyond oil, with big investments in gaming and other sports, among other sectors. Critics have, however, called the push "sportswashing" due to the country's human rights record.

"There is much more potential to grow. There is a void in national representation and national pride will bring additional fans and players and cultural engagement," Ralf Reichert, the foundation's CEO, told Reuters.

Reichert said the prize pool would be "comparable" to the $70 million lot for the Esports World Cup's second edition, set for its finale on Sunday.

Its hours watched have jumped 52% to 270 million over the inaugural edition, while over 2 million have attended in person, as of the four-week point in the competition.

Such tournaments are crucial for pro-gamers as prominent esports brands struggle with finances. Some of the tournaments have also included post-pandemic favorites such as chess.

For ENC, the foundation has partnered with video game publishers Electronic Arts EA.O, Krafton 259960.KS, Tencent 0700.HK and Ubisoft UBIP.PA.

"(The publishers) have the data on what's happening on the server. So identifying in each country who are the best players ... then figuring out who's the national coach will be done together with a publisher," Reichert said.

For future editions, the host cities will rotate to "where the sport is popular and can mobilize the masses," he added.