Esports Nations Cup: Date & Rules For the Tournament Revealed

The Esports World Cup has been running for about three years now and it can be said with some certainty that it is a success as clubs scramble to get themselves in the frame for a title, picking up players left and right to make room. 

That success has encouraged the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as they have now given further details on the proposed Esports Nations Cup (ENC). This is to be a tournament that pits different countries against one another in various games. 

In a post on social media, the official account for the ENC posted a few details of the tournament which is to take place across 4 weeks in November 2026. The information put out states that there will be no full club rosters allowed and that team titles will have up to 48 nations competing while solo tournaments will have as much as 128 national players. There will also be a guarantee that each nation will at least have three matches showcased so as to ensure fair representation. 

There was also the promise that to keep things competitive and yet inclusive, there will be a 50/50 split between invited nations and qualifiers. 

The ENC is under the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and will be governed by the latter. This is to ensure a level of uniformity across the tournaments. 

The games that will be involved have not been announced yet, but it is sure that on the fighting game side, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be included, considering SNK is listed as one of the partners of the ENC. With Capcom also recently announcing a partnership with the EWC, it is quite likely that Street Fighter 6 will also join the fray. 

It is unclear what the reaction to this will be, but if the EWC is anything to go by, there will be a lot of support from lovers of esports, but also reservations over Saudi Arabia’s international reputation as regards human rights and their attitudes towards liberal ideology. 

As the month goes on, there will be more reveals, and soon enough, we should have the games that will be involved in the competition.