The "Paris Expo Porte de Versailles" Officially Hosts the Esports World Cup 2026!

In a move befitting the magnitude of the largest event in the history of gaming and esports, the Esports Foundation officially announced the selection of the historic exhibition complex "Paris Expo Porte de Versailles" to be the official and sole venue that will host the competitions of the Esports World Cup 2026, in the first historical edition to take the tournament beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia and launch it globally from the heart of the French capital, Paris, from July 6 to August 23, 2026.

This selection came after extensive logistical and organizational studies conducted by the operational committees of the Foundation, where this center was chosen due to its rich heritage and massive infrastructure that has placed France on the global gaming map for many years. "Porte de Versailles" is the traditional and historical stronghold of the "Paris Games Week" event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts annually since 2010. Moreover, the center has maximum operational readiness and exceptional recent experience after being one of the main venues that successfully hosted the "Paris 2024" Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, making it the ideal place to blend traditional sporting spirit with modern digital excitement. The Esports Foundation, in collaboration with local partners and global publishers, plans to transform the vast halls of the center into a fully integrated and futuristic digital city. 25 separate competitive arenas will be constructed and equipped with the latest lighting, motion display technologies, and ultra-fast servers to accommodate the 24 games approved in the tournament.

The preparations will not be limited to the competition stages only; the center will also include massive entertainment zones (Fan Zones), dedicated spaces for cultural events that integrate Saudi and French culture, and areas for experiencing new games and meeting gaming celebrities and content creators, ensuring a comprehensive entertainment experience for the thousands of fans and families who will flock daily throughout the eight weeks of the tournament.

This step supports the Foundation's vision to accelerate the "rotation" system among global cities and transform the tournament into an international cross-continental platform that gathers players, clubs, publishers, and fans under one roof, driving the growth of the gaming and esports sector as one of the fastest-growing components of the digital and entertainment economy worldwide.