The Esports Foundation has officially confirmed that this year’s Esports World Cup event will take place in Paris, France. This drastic relocation comes amid a period of intense instability in the Middle East, threatening the most fundamental aspects of the event, which welcomes more than 2,000 players to compete across dozens of games.
To avoid any risks entirely, the Esports Foundation has moved the Esports World Cup to Paris and has been welcomed with open arms by Emmanuel Macron, the French President.
Esports World Cup Heads to Paris
Last week, rumors suggested that the Esports World Cup, the most valuable and ambitious event in esports history, would be relocating to Paris, France, moving away from Saudi Arabia.
That has been confirmed as accurate, with the Esports Foundation publishing a press release confirming the move.
In a statement, CEO Ralf Reichert said:
Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon.
Riyadh is the home of EWC and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport. This year, we’re excited to bring EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and is one of the great global capitals of sport, culture and entertainment.
Together with the passion of French fans and the strong support we’ve received locally, we’re excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of EWC. Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.
France has long enjoyed a strong relationship with esports. From top-tier Rainbow Six events to the upcoming Call of Duty League Major, the nation has welcomed millions of eyes and hundreds of thousands of visitors, all eager to soak up some competitive gaming action.
While the location has changed, the schedule has not, and the Esports World Cup will still run from July 6th to August 23rd. It’s set to feature the talents of more than 200 organizations, gravitating to the event from a whopping 100 countries to compete across 24 games.
The event still boasts a massive $75 million prize pool, too.
Are you interested in going to the Esports World Cup now that it’s in Paris? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that ESL FACEIT has started running TikTok streams
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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