The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced Chess as the latest of 16 titles that national teams and players will compete in at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 through 29, 2026.
Chess at ENC 2026 will field an unprecedented number of competitors, allowing new talents and underrepresented nations to compete on a major stage as the historically significant game grows into a bigger and bigger esport.
The opening portion of the tournament will consist of 128 players competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring 16 groups of eight players. The top four players from each group will advance to the next stage.
The second stage will consist of 64 players competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket.
All group stage matches will be best-of-two. All Round of 64 and 32 matches will be best-of-two, while the quarterfinals and beyond will be best-of-four. Armageddon games will be used as tie-breakers. The event will be played in a Rapid 10+0 time control format.
RANKING SYSTEM AND QUALIFIER INFO
128 players representing their respective nation will compete in the Chess event at ENC 2026:
- 64 players from 64 nations will be directly invited based on the official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings
- 56 players will qualify through regional qualifiers
- 8 players will come from Wildcard slots
Chess will feature two regional qualifiers in each region, taking place on June 6-7 and June 13-14. Each Qualifier will consist of two stages; a Swiss stage and a double-elimination stage, with four players from each qualifier making it to ENC, giving a total of eight players per region. Qualifiers will be operated by Chess.com, and hosted in North America (8 slots), South America (8), Africa (8), Western Europe (8), Eastern Europe (8), Middle East + India + Central Asia (8) and East Asia + Southeast Asia + Oceania (8).
Every nation can have up to two representatives at the event. Should a nation have a player directly invited through the rankings, only one more player from that nation can make it through the regional qualifier. Nations without a direct invite can still have two players qualify online.
CHESS AT THE ESPORTS WORLD CUP
Chess grabbed the spotlight at its Esports World Cup debut in 2025, solidifying the rise of the new digital era for the world’s oldest and most beloved games. Fans of both esports and chess had never experienced an event like this before, and were captivated throughout as the intense action played out.
The most accomplished players and biggest names collided in the playoffs, with the game’s biggest star in Magnus Carlsen of Norway claiming the inaugural Chess at EWC championship on behalf of Team Liquid.
In total, 20 nations were represented across the Chess main event and Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh at EWC 2025.
