India, July 9 -- Today, the world's best esports players arrive in Paris as the Esports Foundation officially opens the 2026 Esports World Cup, marking the first international edition of the world's largest esports and gaming event. Running through August 23 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, EWC 2026 brings together more than 2,000 elite players, 200 leading esports Clubs from over 100 countries, competing across 25 tournaments in 24 of the world's most popular games for a share of a record-breaking USD 75 million (INR 716 crore) prize pool.

Their arrival in Paris follows the largest Road to EWC qualification program in history, with more than 1.5 million players competing across 330 tournaments, publisher leagues and premier internatio...