Esports World Cup Makes Its First Trip Outside Saudi Arabia, Landing in Paris

GamesBeat · 2d ago

The 2026 Esports World Cup kicked off at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the tournament's first edition held outside Saudi Arabia and its biggest yet, with more than 2,000 players from over 100 countries chasing a record $75 million prize pool across 25 tournaments in 24 games. The event runs through August 23, with $30 million of the pool tied to the cross-game Club Championship alone. An opening ceremony at La Seine Musicale featured performances from DJ Snake and Aya Nakamura.