Esports Nations Cup Postponed To November 2027The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), which was set to feature a 128-player chess tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 2-29, has been postponed by one year to November 2027, the Esports Foundation (EF) announced on Tuesday.
"The decision to postpone the Esports Nations Cup was not taken lightly," said EF CEO Ralf Reichert.
The inaugural Esports Nations Cup is postponed to November 2027.
The 2026 Esports World Cup was originally set to be held in Riyadh before being relocated to Paris, where Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title.
Photo: Esports World Cup.
Esports Nations Cup Postponed To November 2027
The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), which was set to feature a 128-player chess tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 2-29, has been postponed by one year to November 2027, the Esports Foundation (EF) announced on Tuesday.
The Foundation said the decision followed an ongoing assessment of the “wider regional situation” and consultation with key stakeholders. The organization said moving the competition to 2027 was the responsible decision given the scale of an event involving teams and stakeholders from more than 100 countries and territories.
"The decision to postpone the Esports Nations Cup was not taken lightly," said EF CEO Ralf Reichert. "We will continue investing in our National Team Partners, working with publishers and building the national ecosystems already taking shape around the competition. The work continues, and our ambition for ENC remains unchanged."
The inaugural Esports Nations Cup is postponed to November 2027.
More information on our website: https://t.co/qYmapPZLhp pic.twitter.com/LPXQZKKgJO — Esports Nations Cup ( @ENC_EN ) August 18, 2026
The ENC had been scheduled to run across four weeks in November, with chess among the titles played during the opening week.
The Esports Foundation is yet to comment on how the postponement will affect the players who have qualified for the finals, and whether they will retain their places in 2027.
GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Liem Le, Matthias Bluebaum, Volodar Murzin, and Christopher Yoo are among the players who had secured their spots in the finals through the qualification process. The chess field was set to feature players from at least 82 countries and territories.
Chess was announced in February as one of 16 titles at the inaugural ENC, with a 128-player tournament designed to bring together players representing countries and territories rather than esports clubs. Chess.com joined the ENC as an official publishing partner in November 2025, alongside publishers including Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, Ubisoft, MOONTON Games, and SNK. The competition was conceived as a nation-versus-nation counterpart to the club-focused Esports World Cup.
The 2026 Esports World Cup was originally set to be held in Riyadh before being relocated to Paris, where Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title. Photo: Esports World Cup.
EF said all existing commitments made through the ENC Development Fund will remain in place despite the postponement, while its development programs and work with National Team Partners will continue.
The foundation said it will work with publishers and National Team Partners in the coming weeks to provide further details on the revised competition calendar and qualification pathways.
