Chess.com, Moonton and SNK join publisher lineup for Esports Nations Cup

• The ENC brings national pride to esports with players competing under their country’s flag.
• The ENC extends the mission of the Esports World Cup into a national-team competition.
• The first Esports Nations Cup takes place in Riyadh in November 2026.

The Esports World Cup Foundation has added Chess.com, Moonton Games and SNK to the inaugural Esports Nations Cup as publishing partners. 

The ENC is a new global tournament where top players compete while representing their countries. The competition is designed to bring national pride to esports in a recurring format. 

Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK join EA, Krafton, Tencent and Ubisoft amongst Official Publishers helping shape the Esports Nations Cup. 

They bring major titles and global player communities, and will help design qualification paths and competition formats to ensure integrity, relevance and a unified global structure.

Setting the stage 

The Esports Nations Cup expands the mission of the Esports World Cup by introducing national-team competition to the global esports stage. 

The event will debut in Riyadh in November 2026 before rotating to different host countries every two years, offering a stable structure for national teams and long-term investment in their development.

“By partnering closely with publishers, we can make the Esports Nations Cup truly player-centric, and give players the opportunity to represent their country in the games that define their careers,” said Esports World Cup Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert. 

“With the seven partners announced so far as close collaborators, we can activate players worldwide and deliver a Nations Cup that feels earned for players and real for fans, and build a stage that national teams can aspire to for years to come.”