DAZN has announced that it will bring the Esports World Cup 2026 free-to-view to audiences around the world for the third year running. The event is a seven-week celebration of competitive gaming, taking place in Paris from July 6 to August 23, 2026, as the platform has claimed in a statement.

First launched in Riyadh, the event brings together clubs and players, all observed by an audience of hundreds of thousands of fans.

This year’s edition will feature 24 game titles spanning multiple genres, including first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, fighting games and sports simulations. Under the international “Road to EWC” pathway, more than 1.5 million players competed through 330 globally hosted qualification events.

Each week of competition will focus on a different set of titles. Running throughout the event, the Club Championship will reward consistency across titles, with players earning points to determine the world’s leading esports club. Team Falcons currently top the standings with 221 qualifications.

The tournament debuted with an opening ceremony on July 8 at La Seine Musicale in Paris, France, with performances from internationally renowned artists, including DJ Snake and Aya Nakamura.

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation, shares: “The Esports World Cup brings together the world’s leading games, players, clubs and communities on one global stage. It speaks to esports fans, gaming fans and new audiences everywhere, and DAZN is uniquely positioned to help us make that experience accessible globally, for free”.

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, concludes: “The Esports World Cup is a landmark global sporting event that showcases the very best of competitive gaming across multiple genres. Its scale, innovation, and ability to engage younger audiences make it a perfect fit for DAZN. We are excited to bring this competition to fans worldwide free-to-view for the third year in a row and to continue cementing our leading position in sports entertainment”.

The platform will broadcast the esports event globally excluding in China, Korea, CIS, Ukraine, Malaysia, Hungary, Finland, and Japan (on an ad hoc basis).