Paris Hosts 2026 Esports World Cup with $75 Million Prize Pool

Paris Esports World Cup 75 million prize Saudi Arabia funding Valorant playoffs opening ceremony

The 2026 Esports World Cup has been relocated from Riyadh to Paris after concerns over regional instability and air‑travel disruptions. This marks the first edition of the tournament to be held outside Saudi Arabia. The event runs from early July to 23 August at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, featuring 25 tournaments across titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, Counter‑Strike and more.

More than 2,000 professional players from over 200 clubs in 100+ countries are competing. The total prize pool is US$75 million, fully financed by Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, with US$30 million allocated to the Club Championship ranking and US$7 million to the club champion. French officials, including Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire and Sports Minister Marina Ferrari, opened the event with a ceremony that featured French artists Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake and others.

The Valorant bracket has progressed to the eight‑team playoffs, with quarter‑finals scheduled for 9‑10 July, semifinals on 11 July and the final on 12 July. Ticket sales have exceeded 100,000, and the competition will be broadcast to more than 160 countries via around 100 partners, aiming to become one of the largest esports transmissions in history. Global ambassadors Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen have been named for the event.