The inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) which was originally scheduled to take place in November 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was on Tuesday postponed by one year to November 2027 due to ongoing assessment of the wider regional situation, and after consultation with key stakeholders, Esports Foundation (EF) announced.

EF believes moving the inaugural competition to November 2027 is the responsible decision to provide the certainty and stability that National Teams, publishers, partners and fans expect. ENC brings together teams and stakeholders from more than 100 countries and territories.

India’s Nihal Sarin had secured direct qualification invite for the ENC back in May. Sarin was also a part of the recently concluded Esports World Cup where he lost to Magnus Carlsen in the quarterfinals, ending a campaign that had otherwise looked promising.

Nihal was handpicked as his quarterfinal opponent by defending champion and face of the event, Magnus Carlsen, and it was clear that the Indian had to punch well above his weight to match the Norwegian, who had been battling illness since the tournament began.

Carlsen had no real trouble navigating against Nihal, quickly getting down to business by winning the first two of four games to take a commanding 2.0-0.0 lead. In the must-win third game, Nihal managed to put slight pressure on Carlsen, but the slippery Norwegian saved the game and sealed his place in the top four.

“The decision to postpone the Esports Nations Cup was not taken lightly,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “The response from National Team Partners, publishers, players and communities around the world has shown us how much potential this competition has. We owe them an inaugural ENC delivered under the right conditions and at the level this idea deserves. Hosting the tournament in Riyadh next year does not change our commitment. We will continue investing in our National Team Partners, working with publishers and building the national ecosystems already taking shape around the competition. The work continues, and our ambition for ENC remains unchanged.”