EWC 2026 expected to move from Riyadh to Paris

The Esports World Cup is suddenly the biggest speculative venue change in Call of Duty right now, and the stakes go well beyond a pin on a map. Organizers have reportedly told stakeholders that EWC 2026, which had been announced for Riyadh, would instead be staged in Paris, and the rumor is already landing ahead of CDL Major III.

That matters because this is not a small side event. The Esports World Cup Foundation previously said EWC 2026 would return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 to August 23, 2026, with 24 titles, 25 tournaments and a $75 million prize pool. Moving that scale of competition to Paris would change the experience for teams, fans and sponsors in a very concrete way. Paris is easier for European supporters to reach, it trims long-haul travel for a big chunk of the international esports field, and it shifts broadcast timing and live attendance away from the Gulf region toward Western Europe.

For Call of Duty, the impact is even more specific. The EWC 2026 Call of Duty event is expected to feature Black Ops 7, 16 teams and a $1.8 million prize pool, with competition listed for August 5 to August 9. A Paris setting would put that bracket inside a more accessible travel lane for European fans and organizations, while also changing the sponsor optics around one of the largest multi-title showcases in the scene. If the event stays in Riyadh, it preserves the established Saudi base that EWC has built since the late-2023 rebrand and expansion from Gamers8. If it moves, that base is suddenly gone.

The timing makes the rumor land harder. CDL Major III is officially set for May 15-17 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta during DreamHack Atlanta, with all 12 league teams and top Challengers teams in the mix. The official CDL calendar also already lists Major IV in Paris and the 2026 Championship Weekend in Las Vegas, so a Paris EWC would stack another major esports moment into the same city on the wider Call of Duty map.

Until the Esports World Cup Foundation says otherwise, Paris remains an expected move rather than a confirmed one. Even so, the idea has already changed the conversation around Major III, because this is the kind of relocation that alters who can get there, when they can watch, and how the whole event looks from a Call of Duty fan’s seat.