The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), corresponding to what would be the FIFA of electronic sports, announced at the end of last week the call for national representation for the first World Cup for national e-sports teams, the Esports Nations Cup. The tournament, to be held in November, in Saudi Arabia, is an extension of the Esports World Cup, which brings together clubs from all over the planet, inaugurated in 2024 and which also takes place in Riyadh.
When revealing more details about the Esports Nations Cup, the EWCF also made another multimillion-dollar announcement: the Esports Nations Cup Development Fund will be created, with an investment of at least US$20 million per year to support the long-term growth of electronic sports in national teams, which today would mean more than R$107 million.
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This fund will be used to finance the national teams’ programs and cover development and operational expenses, such as travel and logistics for participation in the Esports Nations Cup 2026, at the end of this year. Furthermore, the investment aims to enable promotional actions and initiatives aimed at fans of the sport, to increase the visibility and engagement of electronic sports around national teams.
For this year, registrations are now open for those who want to try to apply for the position of “National Team Partner”, which will basically be the representatives of the EWCF federation in each country. What we are looking for are references in electronic sports that can act as EWCF partners in the role of national federations, to work in this direction within each country and organize the teams of the 16 different games that have not yet been selected that will be part of the electronic sports World Cup.
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The position of National Selection Partner can receive applications from “esports organizations, clubs, agencies, NGOs, sports federations, recognized government entities, content creators and experienced e-sports professionals with strong ties in the national ecosystem”, as explained by the EWCF. Registration can be done on the organization’s official website.
“The goal of the Esports World Cup Foundation is to elevate esports and make it sustainable,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “The Esports Nations Cup is the natural next step on this journey. By opening this application process, we are inviting trusted national partners to help define the framework for how countries are represented in esports, with clear roles, aligned governance and a system that works for players, partner companies and fans,” he added.
