Niko Partners' Danial Ahmad explains where MENA gaming goes next, from esports and localization to regulation, talent and sustainable growth.

EWC 2026 viewership data from Esports Charts shows India led co-streaming audiences, while games drew sharply different regional and demographic profiles.

Image via Valve Saudi esports organisation Team Falcons has announced its withdrawal from competitive Dota 2, ending a nearly three-year run that included victory at The International 2025. Falcons confirmed the move following a strategic review of its esports plans for 2026 and beyond. “At Team Falcons, our goal is to build long-term, high-impact programs across global esports,” the organisation said in an official statement. Falcons said its global focus is shifting towards

Image via Esports Foundation Average live viewership for the Esports World Cup increased 37% year-on-year in 2026, reaching 145,100 viewers, according to a new report from Esports Charts. Total watch time also increased significantly, rising 29.5% compared with 2025 to more than 237 million hours watched across the tournaments and their qualifiers. The figures cover 25 esports tournaments and their qualifiers, with Esports Charts pointing to an expanded competition programme

AG.AL has been crowned Esports World Cup 2026 Club Champion, bringing seven weeks of competition in Paris, France to a close after more than 2,000 players, representing 200 Clubs and over 100 countries, competed across 25 tournaments in 24 games, for a record-breaking $75 million prize pool. AG.AL secured the $7 million Club Championship title with 5,300 points after a dramatic win in Trackmania, completing a campaign that also included a first place finish in TEKKEN 8, sec

Gwendal "Gwen" Duparc has done the unthinkable and secured the Esports World Cup 2026 Club Championship for AG AL by winning the Trackmania at Esports World Cup 2026 trophy. After seven weeks of action, the Club Championship all came down to the playoffs of the Trackmania competition. Two-time defending champions Team Falcons sat at the top of the leaderboard with 4,600 points, but after Team Falcons’ pro and seven-time Trackmania World Champion Carl-Antoni "Carl Jr." Clout

The Esports World Cup 2026 reaches its grand finale on Sunday, August 23, as the EWC26 Trophy Award Ceremony brings seven weeks of elite esports competition to a close in Paris. Taking place at the Grand Palais in Paris, the ceremony will celebrate the clubs, players and defining moments of EWC26 before the EWC26 Club Champion takes center stage to receive the Esports World Cup trophy. For esports fans around the world, the ceremony represents the final chapter of EWC26 and t

Image via Esports Foundation Magnus Carlsen has won the Chess at Esports World Cup 2026 title and has secured his second EWC trophy in a row, all without losing a single game in his journey to the top. Carlsen, who has never lost a match at the EWC, reinforces himself as the world’s greatest Chess player. The Team Liquid grandmaster was able to seal his second Esports World Cup in dominant fashion, as he took down AG.AL's Denis Lazavik in two sets in the grand final. While L

Team Falcons sped to a one-sided Rocket League victory in the Grand Final, winning 11 straight games to secure a long-sought-after trophy.

As the Esports World Cup makes its international debut, the Fan Fest turns Paris into a global celebration of gaming culture.

Developed with Kolex, the inaugural EWC 2026 trading card collection celebrates the players and Clubs of the world's largest esports and gaming event.

Inspired by Paris and visual traditions synonymous with global sport, the EWC 2026 collections commemorate the first international edition of EWC and celebrate the players and communities shaping competitive gaming.

The New Global Sport Conference returns to Riyadh on October 30 ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026.