New Global Sport Conference to return to Riyadh in 2026

The Esports Foundation confirmed the New Global Sport Conference will take place at the Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2026. The event is scheduled immediately before the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, which begins Nov. 2 and will feature 32 national teams.

Organisers adjusted the calendar after the Esports World Cup relocated to Paris for 2026 because of regional instability. The foundation said it will keep the main business summit and the national-team competition in Riyadh while adding an invitation-only NGSC satellite summit in Paris during the Esports World Cup.

The NGSC will run as a three-day executive program. Oct. 30 will be an invitation-only preliminary day of closed-door roundtables and workshops for institutional participants, with public and industry sessions on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The Paris summit will be invitation-only and operate within the NGSC 2026 framework.

The conference theme is “Defining Victory: Shaping Gaming for the Next Era of Competition – AI, Capital & Monetization.” Sessions will address the use of artificial intelligence tools, changes in venture capital models, alternative club ownership structures and shifts in digital consumer behaviour. Event production and regional communications will be handled with Richard Attias & Associates and Maanna Strategic Communications.

Pairing the NGSC with the Esports Nations Cup aligns the business forum with the country-based tournament first announced at NGSC 2025. Organisers said the schedule creates a contiguous week in Riyadh that brings executives, federation representatives and national team stakeholders together around both commercial and competitive agendas.

The foundation reported that the 2025 conference drew about 1,500 delegates and executives from companies including Sony, Ubisoft and Amazon. The 2025 event was held in August as a closing event for that year’s Esports World Cup in Riyadh; organisers separated the summit from the mid-summer EWC calendar for 2026 after the tournament moved to Paris.

Hans Jagnow, director of the New Global Sport Conference at the Esports Foundation, described the 2026 plan as an expansion with two main moments: Riyadh in November alongside the Esports Nations Cup, and a curated Paris summit during the Esports World Cup.