The Esports World Cup Foundation announced a $45 million investment to support players, teams, and organizations competing in the Esports Nations Cup, which will be held in Riyadh this November. This funding is separate from the already announced $75 million for the Esports World Cup, starting in July.
The Esports World Cup features established esports organizations competing in various games. In contrast, the Esports Nations Cup is a tournament where countries field their own teams, fostering a sense of national competition and pride.
The EWCF Has Pledged $120 Million to Esports
The Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by Saudi Arabia, is investing a massive $120 million in esports this year.
From November 2nd to 29th, teams from many countries will travel to Riyadh to compete in various games, aiming to win prize money, gain recognition, and earn national pride. A recent announcement detailed how the $45 million in funding will be distributed:
- $20 million in prize money, spread across 16 titles
- $5 million in Club incentives for clubs that release and enable their professional players to participate in the ENC
- $20 million through the ENC Development Fund, supporting partners with logistics, travel, marketing, and growth
This project seems entirely positive. Even if nothing else comes of it, dedicating $20 million to help organizations reach an international level is a commendable effort.
In the release, the CEO of the EWCF, Ralf Reichert, said:
National teams are adding a compelling new dimension to esports, making it more relatable, easy to understand, and connected to a sense of national identity and pride. While clubs are essential to esports culture, national competitions broaden the appeal, spark exciting new rivalries, and instantly engage fans.
Our top-level competition is built to be fair and maintain healthy growth, recognizing strong performance while also investing in the future of players, clubs, and national sports organizations.
Thus far, the EWCF has announced only a few titles out of the 16 coming to the Esports Nations Cup:
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Trackmania
- Dota 2
More games will be announced in the coming days.
Grant Taylor-Hill
I first got into gaming way back in 1996 with the Amstrad CPC, and I’ve been hooked ever since! Now I play on pretty much everything, and I’m a huge fan of the whole gaming world – especially esports. It’s just a real passion of mine.
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2026-01-29 17:48