Кубок наций по киберспорту 2026: новый формат призов и 45 миллионов долларов на развитие команд

The Esports World Cup Foundation Corporation has decided to finally rewrite the rules of the game by announcing a $20 million prize pool for its debut Cup of Nations. It’s powerful, really. The tournament, by the way, is planned to be held from November 2 to November 29, and the award distribution system is tied solely to the final positions — each qualified gamer eats a piece of the pie according to his status.

45 million investment: how ENC plans to feed the industry

The overall budget of the initiative looks even more ambitious — the fund is ready to inject about $ 45 million into the ecosystem. In fact, these funds will be used not only for direct payments to the winners, but also for the support of clubs, as well as the training of national teams. Interestingly, 5 million of this amount, by the way, was reserved specifically for organizations: if their ward gets into the top 16, the club takes a bonus of 40% of his winnings (though from a separate budget, without touching the player’s wallet).nnRalph Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, believes that national teams are, in principle, a new level of self-identification in esports. Along the way, the payment model was specifically tailored to «sustainability» in order to spur the long-term growth of not only the stars, but also entire development programs in different countries. By the way, the remaining 20 million will go to just such needs — from paying for flights to marketing teams, which is really cool for the shooting gallery-2 scene.

Esports Nations Cup Games 2026: who is on the list?

At the moment, the organizers have apparently decided to keep the intrigue alive by revealing only three disciplines out of the planned 16. It seems that they are betting on diversity: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has entered the roster thanks to a partnership with MOONTON Games, and arcade racing fans will see Trackmania — this is the result of a deal with Ubisoft Nadeo. In addition, Dota 2 officially joined the list on January 28, where 32 teams will compete for the historic title of the first ENC champion.