The 2026 Esports World Cup is going to Paris. Not Riyadh. Organisers moved it because of the war in the Middle East, and Ralf Reichert from the Esports Foundation told AFP the quiet part: they could not be sure players would get into the region on time.
EWC only started in 2024 and already looks enormous: over 2,000 players, around 200 clubs, something like twenty games. Yanking a show that size mid-cycle is rare. Usually you cancel or pray. They chose Paris.
Why Paris, basically
Venues. Flights. A summer slot that does not trash the whole year. Clubs and publishers need months of runway for visas and travel, and the Gulf conflict blew that up. Paris keeps the event alive. Same scale, different city. I would rather watch it happen somewhere reachable than watch another cancelled mega-tournament press release.
