Esports just keeps getting bigger, and now it’s about to get a whole lot more patriotic. The organizers behind the Esports World Cup are seriously ramping things up. They’re taking their intense competitions to a whole new level: national teams.
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) is the group that puts on the global Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia. They just dropped news about a brand-new competition called the Esports Nations Cup. This event will pit countries against each other in esports. It will happen every two years, all to find the single best country in specific games. You can find their official announcement here.
This Nations Cup fits right into Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan. This big development effort goes beyond oil, putting huge amounts of money into fun things like entertainment and sports. Ralf Reichert, who leads EWCF as its CEO, thinks this project has a lot of room to grow. He points out that there’s still a real need for national teams in esports. He believes that pride in one’s country will bring more players and fans together.
So, what about the money? The total prize pool for this event will match the second EWC competition. That’s a massive $70 million up for grabs. That’s definitely an enormous sum. Details about which games will be played and all the specific rules are still under wraps. We’ll get updates on those later on.