PARIS: AG.AL were crowned Esports World Cup 2026 club champions on Sunday, collecting the tournament’s $7 million grand prize at a closing ceremony in Paris attended by both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron presented the trophy to AG.AL after the club finished first in the overall standings with 5,300 points, with Saudi’s crown prince present to witness the competition conclude its first edition to be held outside the Kingdom.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R), French President Emmanuel Macron and
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) attend the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on August 23, 2026. (Pool via Reuters)
Held from July 6 to Aug. 23, the tournament brought together more than 2,000 professional players representing 200 clubs from 100 countries. They competed across 25 of the world’s most popular esports titles for a total prize pool exceeding $75 million, the largest in esports history according to the event organizers.
The EWC also drew more than 850 million viewers across digital platforms worldwide, generating more than 440 million hours of watch time through content distributed in 47 languages. Ticket sales for esports competitions rose 94 percent compared with the previous edition.
The attendance of the crown prince emphasized Saudi Arabia’s continuing push to develop gaming and esports as part of its broader efforts to expand the Kingdom’s sports, entertainment and digital economy sectors.
“The continued support of HRH the Crown Prince has been instrumental in building the Esports World Cup into the global platform it is today,” EWC Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert said.
“Bringing EWC to Paris marks an important new chapter and demonstrates the strength of the model established in Saudi Arabia, while Riyadh remains its home.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, August 23, 2026. (Pool via Reuters)
Reichert congratulated AG.AL on what he called an extraordinary victory and thanked Paris, the French government, partners and other stakeholders for making the first international edition possible.
“Paris embraced the Esports World Cup and made it its own, proving that something created in Saudi Arabia can belong to fans everywhere,” he said.
The Paris edition marked a new stage in the development of the EWC, which was launched in Saudi Arabia as a cross-game competition designed to crown the world’s top esports club across multiple titles.
The tournament was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2023 as a Saudi-born initiative with global ambitions.
Riyadh hosted the inaugural event in 2024, followed by an expanded second edition in 2025. This year, Paris became the first international city outside Saudi Arabia to stage the competition, although organizers said Riyadh would remain its home and be a central pillar of its long-term strategy.
The EWC is an annual competition for elite esports clubs and brings together players, teams, game publishers and fans. Its club championship format awards points for performances across different competitions, with the highest-scoring club claiming the overall title.
The EWC Foundation has positioned the event as part of a broader effort to establish esports as a major global sport and entertainment platform. With the third edition now complete, the competition is seeking to build on its Saudi origins and expand its presence internationally, using major world cities as hosts while maintaining Riyadh as its long-term base.
Organizers said the tournament also reflected Saudi Arabia’s wider ambition to create economic, professional and cultural opportunities around gaming and esports and to transform the sector into a sustainable industry for younger generations.
AG.AL’s victory in Paris marked the conclusion of the Esports World Cup’s biggest edition yet and its first step onto an international stage beyond the Kingdom.
