Esports World Cup 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

The Esports Foundation confirmed the Esports World Cup 2026 will be held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from July 6 through Aug. 23. Ticket sales for all 25 competitions will begin Friday, May 29.

Organizers said the venue will host competition arenas, broadcast operations and fan festival activities within a single site. The complex includes eight pavilions, two auditoriums and 32 meeting rooms, which will be configured to support simultaneous tournament broadcasts, team warm-up zones and partner activations.

The foundation plans to accommodate more than 2,000 professional players representing roughly 200 clubs from about 100 countries. Competing teams will vie for a total prize pool of over $75 million.

Ticketing will use a tiered structure with a limited allocation of Early Bird passes. A Regular Tournament Pass grants entry to every competition day for one selected game title with Silver-tier seating. A Premium Tournament Pass includes fast-track entry, Gold-tier seating and a limited-edition merchandise bag containing a collector coin, tote and event T-shirt. A Daily Regular Tournament Pass provides single-day entry to a specific game bracket; custom seating will be available for some headline stages. Championship days for VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League and Counter-Strike 2 will have Gold, Silver and Bronze seating tiers.

The foundation moved the 2026 tournament cycle out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, citing airspace disruptions and regional security concerns that affected planning. Ralf Reichert, the foundation’s CEO, credited political backing from French authorities, including President Emmanuel Macron, as a factor in choosing Paris.

Paris Expo Porte de Versailles has hosted Paris Games Week since 2010, staged the Teamfight Tactics Open in 2025 and was the largest active complex during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organizers said.

Organizers also noted that Global Esports Industry Week will return June 18–21, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, running alongside IEM Cologne. The foundation will publish the full schedule and additional ticketing details ahead of the May 29 on-sale date.