The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has today officially announced that chess will be a part of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-8, 2026.
Chess will be one of 16 esports titles at ENC 2026, with 128 players competing for their countries and territories, not clubs or teams. The event aims to expand chess into the global esports ecosystem, enabling new talent from underrepresented nations to compete on a major stage.
The chess tournament will run from November 2-8, concluding with the Playoff Final on the last day. The Group Stage will feature 16 groups of eight players each in a round-robin format. The top four players from each group advance to the 64-player single-elimination bracket.
All matches are best-of-two, while the Quarterfinals and beyond are best-of-four. Games will be played with a time control of 10+0, with armageddon games if required.
A total of 128 players will qualify for the chess event at the ENC 2026 through three different routes:
- 64 direct invites through Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings, limited to one player per nation. The Titled Tuesday Spring Split will be used as an additional tiebreaker should there not be 64 unique nations featured in the CCT rankings.
- 56 regional qualifier spots on Chess.com
- 8 wildcard spots
Regional qualifiers will take place June 6-7 and June 13-14 on Chess.com, awarding eight spots per region across North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East/India/Central Asia, and Eastern Asia/Southeast Asia/Oceania. Each nation can have up to two representatives in the ENC 2026.
The EWCF recently announced that the ENC will have a total funding commitment of $45 million to the esports ecosystem, with $20 million paid directly to the players and coaches across the 16 titles.
While the prize pool for the chess event has not yet been announced, the event will build on the momentum from the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC), where chess made its highly successful debut with the world’s top players competing for a massive $1.5 million prize fund.
That event featured players from 20 countries across the main event and the Last Chance Qualifier, and concluded with GM Magnus Carlsen winning the tournament and cashing in the $250,000 first prize.
As Chess.com announced in November, the EWC returns in 2026 with a bigger, year-round qualifying cycle that is already well underway with the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix and the Speed Chess Championship.
