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The 2026 Esports World Cup is reportedly moving from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Paris, France due to conflicts in the Middle East.
According to Alexander Lee of GamesBeat, the event organizers have informed stakeholders that the 2026 iteration will take place in France.
GamesBeat cites three anonymous sources from the esports space who had knowledge of the Esports World Cup’s communications with stakeholders.
Just like its previous iterations, the third edition of the Esports World Cup was originally set to take place between July and August 2026 in Riyadh.
Esports World CupHowever, the EWC had intended to eventually move to other cities and charge them a hosting fee as another way to make revenue. Whether Paris is paying to host the 2026 competition is unknown.
The decision to reportedly move the event to Paris comes as airlines have canceled flights to the Middle East over safety concerns, so this relocation was likely a proactive choice to avoid issues with the competition.
Esports teams from across the globe are set to compete for a $75M prize pool. In total, 24 different esports titles will be represented including Overwatch, Valorant, CS2, chess, and League of Legends.
So far, the Esports World Cup has yet to issue a statement on the reported relocation to Paris.
