As we know, the Esports World Cup left Riyadh for the first time this year. Rather than treat that as an embarrassing backwards step, the Saudi officials behind it are bullishly calling it proof that the tournament has “grown up” — and they see the move as key to boosting their own GDP in the future.
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a board member of the Esports Foundation, addressed the relocation head-on in a statement to The Esports Radar, claiming Paris was never a fallback option but was instead a deliberate expansion of the EWC’s global footprint. The 2026 edition opened on July 6 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, carrying a record $75 million prize pool spread across 25 tournaments and 24 games, including VALORANT and League of Legends.
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