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Chess.com, MOONTON Games, and SNK join the ENC alongside Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft, to strengthen the foundation of the world’s first international, nation-based competition at this scale

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the addition of Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a landmark tournament where the best esports players in the world will compete for the honor of representing their countries. The ENC introduces national pride to the global esports stage in a recurring format and is the first event of its kind at this scale.

Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK join as Official Publishers, alongside Founding Publishers and video game companies EA, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft – the core partners developing the foundational structure of the ENC – bringing with them their iconic titles, global reach, and player communities to enhance the first Esports Nations Cup.

The three new publishers and all forthcoming Official Publishers will co-design qualification paths and competition formats for their respective titles — ensuring integrity, competitive relevance, and a consistent global structure.

The EWCF and its Founding Publishers continue to co-develop the ENC to establish the tournament’s foundational framework, structure, and format from inception, representing a deeper level of strategic partnership and commitment than other publishers.

“By partnering closely with publishers, we can make the Esports Nations Cup truly player-centric, and give players the opportunity to represent their country in the games that define their careers,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “With the seven partners announced so far as close collaborators, we can activate players worldwide and deliver a Nations Cup that feels earned for players and real for fans, and build a stage that national teams can aspire to for years to come.”

As the newest addition to the EWCF portfolio, the Esports Nations Cup builds on the momentum of the Esports World Cup — the world’s largest multi-title esports event — and extends its mission to a new layer of global competition. While the Esports World Cup unites the best clubs, the ENC unlocks a new frontier powered by national identity and regional representation.

The ENC will feature national teams from all major regions – including North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania – competing in both team-based and solo-player formats. A multi-layered qualification model will balance competitiveness and inclusivity: combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, and wildcard entries, including solidarity placements, to ensure a broad and representative competitive stage in every game.

The Esports Nations Cup will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026, before moving to a rotating host model, bringing national esports teams to fans and cultures worldwide. Held every two years, the ENC will provide a dependable structure for players and esports organisations, encouraging long-term investment in national team programmes.

Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks.

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The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is pleased to announce that Stake has joined as an Official Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Partner.

As a global entertainment and technology brand, Stake’s collaboration with ESIC underscores a shared commitment to strengthening integrity frameworks and supporting fair competition across the esports ecosystem.

ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program brings together key industry stakeholders who contribute directly to the detection, analysis, and investigation of suspicious betting activity. Through data sharing, operational cooperation, and collaborative monitoring, the program enhances ESIC’s capacity to identify and address potential issues in real time.

As part of Stake’s Anti-Corruption Partner role, Stake will contribute to ESIC’s integrity monitoring network, helping advance the Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability within the global esports industry. This collaboration reinforces both organisations’ commitment to safeguarding the credibility and long-term development of competitive gaming worldwide.

Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, commented: “The addition of Stake to ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter network reinforces the sentiment that integrity is a shared responsibility. ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program relies on the active collaboration of partners like Stake, whose operational insights contribute directly to our ability to identify and mitigate integrity threats. Together, we are building a stronger foundation of trust and accountability that supports the sustainable growth of esports worldwide.”

Jarrod Febbraio, Director of Stake, commented: “This partnership formalizes Stake’s commitment to protecting integrity and transparency across the global esports ecosystem. As the world’s leading online-first betting operator, supporting the industry is central to our strategy and our scale makes this collaboration with ESIC essential to safeguarding its integrity. Together, we’re ensuring the ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and trusted by fans and participants worldwide.”

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For the second consecutive year, Czech-based esports technology company Oddin.gg has taken the top spot in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, underscoring the company’s sustained momentum and highlighting the global demand for an innovative and high-performing esports betting infrastructure.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe program recognizes the region’s fastest-growing technology companies across sectors including fintech, software, communications, environmental tech, hardware, healthcare, media and entertainment. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth.

Commenting on the win, CEO and Co-Founder Vlastimil Venclík shared: “Being recognized by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 for the second year in a row is an honor. It reflects not only our growth, but the trust our partners place in us and the hard work of our team. Esports is evolving quickly, and we’re committed to delivering reliable, high-performing infrastructure that helps operators succeed, now and in the years ahead.”

Founded in 2018, Oddin.gg is dedicated to elevating the excitement of digital esports competitions and equipping sportsbook operators with reliable solutions that maximize engagement, betting activity and profitability.

Vlastimil Venclik credits the company’s growth to its industry expertise, its focus on the betting vertical, and its forward-thinking, customer-first product strategy.

“Our team blends former professional players with data scientists and engineers. That mix gives us the deep esports knowledge and technical capability needed to solve real challenges for operators and deliver measurable results, while also reducing their exposure to risk.”

Oddin.gg stands apart by offering a unified, end-to-end ecosystem for esports betting, allowing operators to work with a single vendor for odds feeds, risk management, widgets, BetBuilder, iFrame and 24/7 eSimulators while also producing and managing everything in-house. This integrated approach is a core pillar of Realms Group, where Oddin.gg leads the effort to shape how audiences experience live digital entertainment.

“We’re expanding in two major directions. First, by building faster, smarter, more interactive products that deepen engagement for fans and bettors. Second, by growing geographically, supported by recent certifications in Brazil as well as earlier approvals in the United States and Canada. This makes us one of the most secure and trusted providers in the market,” Venclik said.

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