The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is scheduled to take place in November 2026, pitting national teams and players against one another. On November 25, they announced several new publisher partners that could reveal more games to be played at the event.

On August 23, the Esports World Cup Foundation announced the Esports Nations Cup, just days after the conclusion of the second annual Esports World Cup, which awarded over $70 million to winning organizations and players.

At the time, they announced four key publisher partnerships with Electronic Arts, Krafton, Ubisoft, and Tencent. This gave us an idea of the types of games that could feature at the ENC, including EA’s FC 27 and Apex Legends, Krafton’s PUBG, Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Tencent’s League of Legends, though no titles have yet been announced.

New Publisher Partners Added to Esports Nations Cup

Just three months later, three new partner publishers have been revealed. They are Chess.com, Moonton Games, and SNK, all of whom had a presence in the 2025 edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC).

This could signal which games to expect to see at the first tournament in November 2026, based on the publishers’ games.

Chess.com, obviously, means we’re likely to see players representing their countries in Chess. Moonton Games is best known for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, while SNK is the publisher behind Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which came out in April 2025 and was immediately added to the EWC games lineup.

“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.”