Poker Writer
The Esports World Cup (EWC) will move from Saudi Arabia to France due to insecurity in the region and social pressure over issues in the planned host country.
The EWC will run from July 6 through Aug. 23 in Paris rather than Riyadh.
EWC began in 2024 and has run for the past two years in the Saudi Arabian capital. It is meant to be an annual event in Riyadh with financial backing from the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sport. There had been suggestions to rotate the event as it continued to grow. Circumstances have forced an earlier move.
Regional Tensions Cause Security Threat
But 2026 has brought complications for the EWC. The conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S. has caused difficulties in the region for many events. EWC is among those. The King Khalid Airport in Riyadh has endured drone strikes, causing the cancellation of many flights.
Mike McCade, the deputy CEO of the Esports Foundation, said delaying the event wasn’t an option, so the organizers opted to move it:
The regional situation and the instability was still a question mark for many of the players and fans.
The Middle East conflict also disrupted the poker world. WSOP Super Circuit scheduled for Cyprus in late April was postponed as a result. Iranian drones targeted Cyprus, and WPT also canceled an event there in March.
The conflict has also postponed the opening of the Wynn Al Marjan casino in the United Arab Emirates. Necessary construction supplies have been caught in a supply chain bottleneck, driving costs higher.
Pressure Against Saudi Arabia ‘Esports Washing’
Even before the recent tensions in the region, some wanted the EWC to relocate from Riyadh. Critics accused the industry of “Esports washing,” piggybacking on the sports washing charges that stemmed from the Saudi government’s prior alleged misconduct while heavily investing in sports.
Critics say the Saudis used Esports’ wholesome image to improve perception of the government despite a track record of human rights abuses and regressive stances. Esports has droves of young fans. Many likely have limited knowledge of these highly charged accusations. Hosting the EWC may help cover up these controversies, the thinking goes.
After the announcement that the 2026 EWC would be moved to Paris, Esports fans were mostly very happy. Several pointed out that it’s simply an easier location for international participants to reach and a more iconic city for tourism outside the event itself.
Several in a Reddit thread also celebrated the blow to Saudi Arabia with comments like “sportwashing unsuccessful.” Some even suggest that the EWC is secretly happy to move the event, and that regional tensions are simply used as an excuse, when the real reason is to deny Saudi Arabia the event.
Invasion of Ukraine Forced Relocation of Russian Poker Stops
A poker parallel exists, one dating back a few years.
The Middle Eastern nations with poor human rights records generally do not allow legal gambling. Therefore, poker events have not faced the same social pressure relating to that particular region.
However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused a stir in the poker world, as it did in many other international competitions.
Russia was sanctioned by several international sporting bodies, including FIFA and UEFA, suspending them from World Cup qualifying. Russian athletes were also banned from the Olympics, and Russian tennis players were barred from playing under the Russian flag (along with Belarusian players).
Poker organizers followed suit. PokerStars suspended European Poker Tour Sochi after pressure from several poker players. Safety wasn’t the primary concern. Many opposed Russia’s actions and didn’t want to support a product that provided benefits to the Russian government.
Russian players were also removed from 888poker and GGPoker’s player pools, and both online poker brands withdrew services from the country.
