The departure of the Paris World Cup of Esports marks the city as a growing sports capital

I Esports World Cup (EWC) departs from Saudi Arabia for the first time, and heads to Paris. From July 6 to August 23, the best players from all 24 sports titles will gather together in the French capital, not only fighting for glory but also to win a share of the 75 million prize pool.

Paris is no stranger to hosting major esports events. The city recently moved from hosting the RLCS Major last month and it became a battlefield THE VALORANT teams during the VCT Champions in 2025. It also saw the first successful Evo event in 2025, and the biggest fighting event will return to France this October.

The Esports World Cup, however, will be a different kind of experiment. It will not be just one event; will gather together more than 200 clubs, thousands of players, and with all the attention from sponsors, publishers, media, and fans, after the recent announcement of relocation, canceling this could raise the status of Paris as a sports center to a whole new level.

When it comes to esports tournaments in recent years, there is nothing like the magnitude of the EWC. Tournaments take place over seven weeks, each with a dedicated stream and broadcast.

While many publishers have perfected the one-event formula, hosting the EWC poses a new challenge. Saudi Arabia has been trying to improve its performance for the past three years (if you consider Gamers8 as a multi-topic event).

Paris is now required to make it work at short notice, in a year when the esports calendar is filled, until the end of the Esports Nations Cup later this November. If the event goes well, Paris will be seen as a city capable of hosting esports on an industrial scale for a long time, putting it on par with Riyadh while also holding the reputation of other leading destinations such as Shanghai or Seoul.

Over the years, France has been establishing itself as one of the leading Esports countries in Europe. Using the country’s Esport Strategy, it has been able to build the necessary infrastructure, including tournament organizers, publishers, agencies, clubs, and most importantly, government institutions to support them.

In particular, political support was important in this year’s EWC environment. The CEO of the Esports Foundation Ralf Reichert met with the French president Emmanuel Macron, who then announced a special team, which includes all government services, including a member of the ministerial delegation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Industry support is not limited to the top level. France has created specific employment structures for professional esports players, making it easier for foreign players to get visas (a much bigger problem in other countries). This last point, in particular, played an important role in the relocation: given the constraints of planning and time, having players competing in the event is a priority.

On an economic level, esports events in France are now considered traditional sports and cultural events, as they have reduced the VAT on event tickets to 5.5% at the beginning of 2024.

All these policies need to be carefully reviewed and aligned. So if Paris becomes the main decision of the EWC, it is because of the work that the country has built for almost ten years.

There is also something else that cannot be built by policies alone: ​​the audience. France is known for having one of the most passionate esports fans in the world. Whether it’s League of Legends, VALORANT, Rocket League, Counter-Strike, or fighting games, French crowds have shown that they will turn those events into mirrors, imitating the intensity seen in traditional games.

According to French journalist Ethan Cohen, the main reason for this strong trend of esports fans is the natural connection between content creators and competition.

He explained that personalities like Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein and Kamel “Kameto” Kebir, who are already established content creators, continue to build their own clubs, Gentlemates and Karmine Corp, built around their image, personality, and community.

“Another important thing is authenticity,” he added to Esports Insider. “These content creators and influencers have a real passion for sports. Many of them started in sports or had a real connection to competitive sports from the beginning… They do it because they have passion, and because they know that if their passion is real, people will follow them on that journey.”

For EWC, it’s probably the best audience you could ask for. This multi-titled event needs fans who are willing to come and watch their favorite teams and players, using that passion to cheer on the venues. And with Karmine Corp recently added to the Club’s partner lineup, seeing big crowds is guaranteed.

That fan base also gives EWC something Saudi Arabia has struggled with over the years: natural noise. Although the latter has proven to have scale and production, it has not been able to replicate the other top esports events on the calendar.

There is also an overlooked aspect when looking at EWC. For digitally-focused fans like esports, time zones have always been a key factor in driving viewership. Although the previous Saudi time zone was not too bad for many viewers, hosting the event in Paris will be beneficial for most Western viewers. The most affected viewers are those in the Eastern time, so it will be up to the organizers to get the fun of the most important games.

I can’t say it’s the only one. Esports is too diverse for one city to handle that topic directly.

Cities like Shanghai and Seoul will remain important venues for many Asian tournaments. Europe has its fair share of touristic cities, such as Berlin, Madrid, and Cologne. Riyadh is still trying to enter the conversation with its massive investment.

But Paris ups the ante by hosting the EWC. The French capital has been given the rare opportunity to host the seven-week event, something only Riyadh has done so far. If it can deliver under tight timelines and scheduling pressures while recording strong attendance numbers, it will be a testament to its reliability, support, and infrastructure, making it a leader in the industry. The country has spent years building the foundations for this moment.

Now, it will all come down to execution.