Rumors have appeared on social media that the Esports World Cup 2026 venue will change from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to France. The rumor spread in the chess community and other esports disciplines, including Counter-Strike.

Saudi Arabia-based news platform ECHO MENA published an analysis of the situation on May 11. The platform included a comment from a representative of EFG Group, the organizer of the EWC:

ECHO MENA researched bookings at major stadiums and halls in Europe for July and August. Famous venues Paris La Defense Arena and Les Arenes have few events scheduled during this period. The platform reports that hotels near the arenas show increased occupancy rates in the same period.

The platform reports that arena officials clarified August is typically reserved for annual maintenance work. Arenas officials noted they leave the possibility for hosting an event during this period, depending on the scale and importance.

EWC denied canceling hosting the event in Saudi Arabia on X on May 10. The EWC official account replied to a post discussing the rumor. The post with the statement was removed the same day. Esports World Cup organizers have not published an official statement on the situation at the time of publication.

The Esports World Cup is a premier annual international gaming tournament and festival held in Riyadh. The 2026 edition of the tournament will run from August 11-15 and will feature a $1,500,000 prize fund.

Credit: Esports World Cup