The Esports World Cup Foundation announced the return of the New Global Sport Conference 2026 (NGSC26) to Riyadh, taking place from October 30 to November 1, 2026, just ahead of the launch of the 2026 Esports Nations Cup, a new and prominent global esports event based on national representation, which will be hosted in Riyadh for the first time from November 2 to 29, 2026.

The conference will be held at the Sofitel Riyadh Hotel and Conference Center, bringing together elite leaders, innovators, and decision makers from the gaming, esports, sports, entertainment, technology, and investment sectors. It will serve as a global platform for dialogue, exchange of perspectives, and building partnerships to discuss the future of these sectors and the systems that will shape them, as well as to share ideas and strengthen collaboration in preparation for the next phase of global competition.

The conference, which was launched in 2023, aims to enhance cooperation between different sectors and anticipate the future of global competition amid the increasing overlap between sports, technology, and entertainment, contributing to shaping the next generation of international competitions.

A new meaning for victory: shaping the future of the sports sector

Ahead of the main conference taking place in Riyadh next November, the Esports World Cup Foundation will organize an exclusive summit linked to the conference, held alongside the 2026 Esports World Cup, which will take place in Paris, France.

This summit will be the first event associated with the conference to be held outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and represents the first step in the conference’s international expansion, nearly three years after its launch.

This year’s conference is held under the theme “Victory in its new meaning: shaping the future of the gaming sector to keep pace with a new era of competition, artificial intelligence, capital, and value creation.”

The theme reflects the rapid transformation in the concept of success across the gaming, esports, and sports sectors. Speakers will discuss the growing role of artificial intelligence technologies, new financing models, ownership structures, commercial innovation, and the behavior and expectations of audiences in these sectors, as well as how these factors influence the value generated by these industries and the development of their ecosystems, ultimately redefining the concept of success and victory within them.

New Global Sports Conference 2026 logo.

Exclusive Paris summit on the sidelines of the Esports World Cup

As part of a new step in this year’s edition, the New Global Sport Conference will dedicate its opening day on October 30 to invited guests only. It will include exclusive networking activities, workshops, high-level meetings, and panel discussions, ahead of the start of the main conference agenda.

Commenting on this, Hans Jagnow, Director of the New Global Sport Conference at the Esports World Cup Foundation, said: “The New Global Sport Conference has become a leading annual platform that brings together the most prominent leaders from the gaming, esports, and sports sectors to discuss the most important developments in these industries and shape their future.”

He added: “In 2026, we will continue to strengthen this leading role of the conference through two main milestones, namely hosting the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh in November alongside the Esports Nations Cup, and holding the exclusive Paris summit alongside the Esports World Cup.”

He continued: “These initiatives reflect the global ambition of the New Global Sport Conference to strengthen its position as a global meeting point for leading experts, executives, and decision makers, and as a hub from which forward looking ideas and impactful partnerships emerge, shaping the future of global competition and giving new meaning to the concept of victory in these sectors.”

30 Memorandums of Understanding and strategic agreements in the gaming and esports sectors

This year’s edition continues the strong success and sustained growth achieved by the conference in 2025, when it attracted more than 1,500 participants from leading experts and decision makers across various sectors, including over 500 chief executive officers, as well as representatives from 25 major game publishing companies and more than 50 influential organizations and companies in the esports sector. The conference also brought together global leaders from multiple fields, including gaming, sports, investment, media, and technology.

The 2025 edition featured speakers and representatives from companies such as Ubisoft, Amazon, Sony, and FIFA, as well as the Esports World Cup Foundation. It also included participation from prominent global figures, including world chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, entrepreneur and well-known podcaster Steven Bartlett, renowned Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima, Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn, and former professional footballer Alex Morgan.

The event also hosted more than 250 bilateral meetings, along with the signing of 30 memorandums of understanding and strategic agreements in the gaming, esports, and sports sectors.

The conference is organized in partnership with Richard Attias & Associates, the global strategic communications and events firm specializing in international conferences, as well as Mana Strategic Communications, a Riyadh based advisory firm specializing in media relations, marketing, and content production within the program.

Both companies contribute to supporting the conference by developing its global platform, strengthening communication strategies, and increasing impactful engagement across the gaming, esports, and sports sectors.

Further details about the program of the New Global Sport Conference 2026, including the list of speakers and session formats, will be announced in the coming weeks.