France Télévisions Becomes Official French Media Partner of the Esports World Cup 2026

PARIS, France/RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (30 June) – The Esports Foundation (EF) and France Télévisions today announced a media partnership that will bring the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC) to audiences across France as Paris hosts the first international edition of the world's largest esports and gaming event from July 6 through August 23.

France Télévisions is offering exclusive daily coverage of the competition. Starting July 7, the public broadcaster will air “La Minute EWC” for seven weeks - a daily segment featuring the competition and the day’s highlights. The program will air every day at 9 pm on France 4 and late-night on France 2, and will also be available on france.tv. Highlights of the competition will also be featured on the group’s social media channels. The partnership was brokered by N.E.O. (New Esports Org.), the European esports promoter founded by Bertrand Amar and Matthieu Dallon, which also handles the full production of the daily program.

“France is one of the countries that helped shape modern esports,” said Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer at the Esports Foundation. “Its fans have filled arenas, built some of the world’s most passionate communities, and supported Clubs and players who have left a lasting mark on our sport. Bringing the Esports World Cup to Paris means bringing it to one of esports’ true homes. Through France Télévisions, audiences across the country will be able to follow the stories, rivalries and defining moments of EWC every day on national television. Our ambition is to help esports become one of the world’s biggest sports, and that starts by making its greatest moments accessible to everyone.”

Through this partnership, the EWC 2026 will reach France mainstream audiences and communities that have helped shape competitive gaming. France is one of the most established esports markets anywhere in the world. According to the France Esports Barometer, 11.8 million people aged 15 and over have an interest in esports, while six million actively participate in competitive gaming. More than 1.5 million compete in amateur and semi-professional tournaments, and the country has hosted many of the industry's biggest international events over the past decade.

This summer, Paris will welcome more than 2,000 professional players representing 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, competing across 25 tournaments in 24 games for a record-breaking prize pool of $75 million.

The announcement builds on the continued growth of the Esports World Cup and its international audience. In 2025, EWC reached more than 750 million viewers worldwide and generated over 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership nearing eight million. The tournament was distributed across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages, reaching audiences in 140 countries.

To learn more about EWC, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow Esports Foundation on LinkedIn.

About The Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is a premier annual sporting event and global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom. The competition features a unique cross-game format that pits the world's top esports Clubs against one another for the largest prize pool in esports history. EWC 2026 will be hosted in Paris, France, in the summer of 2026, bringing gaming and esports communities together again to crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion. esportsworldcup.com

Esports World Cup media contact:

press@esportsfoundation.com