Havas Play to Handle Sponsorship Sales for EWC Paris 2026

Havas Play has been appointed to lead partnership and sponsorship sales for the Esports World Cup Paris 2026. The agency will manage regional strategies and brand integrations for the tournament, scheduled to run July 6–August 23, 2026, and marks the first staging of the event outside Riyadh.

The French agency will run commercial operations and open sponsorship opportunities across the seven-week, multi-title competition. Sponsorship Development Director Maxime Derenne and Head of Gaming and Esport Pierre Acuña will lead the commercial effort and work with potential partners on regional deals and brand activations tied to the event’s programming.

Organisers project the tournament will feature more than 2,000 players from over 100 countries competing across 24 gaming disciplines. The event is expected to reach a cumulative global audience of about 750 million viewers in roughly 140 countries, figures that Havas Play has used in its outreach to potential sponsors.

In a French post, Havas Play wrote that “many partnership opportunities are still open” and described the EWC as “one of the few events capable of connecting performance, an engaged audience, and cultural desirability.” The agency noted the Paris edition follows the 2024 Olympic Games and said organisers plan to engage France’s active gaming community and public support for esports.

French President Emmanuel Macron has highlighted the domestic esports market, and organisers intend to align sponsorship offers with the post-Olympics calendar in Paris to attract brands seeking exposure to competitive gaming audiences.

Havas Play will open discussions for a range of brand integrations and regional sponsorship packages across disciplines and audience touchpoints. Commercial talks are ongoing and companies interested in sponsoring the event can engage with the agency on available options.

Separately, Global Esports Industry Week is scheduled to return June 18–21, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, running alongside IEM Cologne. Organisers and agencies plan to coordinate outreach to potential sponsors at that industry event ahead of the Paris tournament.

Organisers describe the Esports World Cup Paris 2026 as an international, week-by-week competition spanning multiple titles and formats. Havas Play and the event team plan to market sponsorship packages that connect corporate partners with the event’s programming and fanbase.