The Esports World Cup is shaping up to be a memorable event in 2026. In recent days, the Esports World Cup Foundation has unveiled an enormous $75 million prize pool and a roster of twenty-four games that promise unparalleled levels of competitive gaming entertainment.
This is the latest evolution of the biggest event in esports, but it doesn’t end here. During a recent press conference, the team at the Esports World Cup revealed that they’d love to expand their lineup further going forward and would especially appreciate hosting more women’s tournaments in Saudi Arabia.
More Women’s Representation in Riyadh
During a recent press conference, the Esports World Cup Foundation’s COO, Mike McCabe, and Chief Games Officer, Fabian Scheurmann, spoke about LGBTQ+ and women’s representation. In a straightforward statement, McCabe suggested outright what they want to see in the future:
Everybody is welcome. Everyone who competes at EWC is welcome to the Kingdom. What Saudi Arabia is trying to do to shift the culture is to support competitive play.
As for the tournaments we have, we would love to have more competitive tournaments for women in EWC.
What we need to do is work with publishers to build the circuits and pathways for those competitions to get onto the big stage. We hope that we have more and more women’s competitions in the future.
(thanks to Esports Insider for the quote)
In 2024, the CEO of the EWCF, Ralf Reichert, went on record saying that ‘everyone is welcome’ in Riyadh for the Esports World Cup.
He reiterated that statement when Insider Gaming sat down with him later that year:
Everyone is welcome at the Esports World Cup, and we’ve worked hard to create an inclusive environment where gaming fans from all over the world can congregate and share their passion.
It’s exactly the kind of celebratory atmosphere we wanted for such a massive event, and I encourage everyone who is interested in gaming and esports to make the trip, attend a tournament, enjoy one of the many concerts, check out the festival and take in the atmosphere. I believe people’s perception will change once they’ve experienced this.
Women’s esports have been coming up in recent years, with some organizers standing up tournament circuits specifically for females and LGBTQ+ competitors. The likes of VALORANT’s Game Changers scene have blossomed immeasurably of late.
Do you think the Esports World Cup needs more diverse representation? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news about the StarCraft II complaints regarding the Esports World Cup
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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