The Esports Foundation (EF) has announced that the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 30 to November 1, 2026.

The executive-level business conference is scheduled to take place at the Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre, positioned in the calendar directly ahead of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a nation-based tournament circuit beginning on November 2.

The announcement outlines a strategic realignment of the foundation’s corporate calendar. In 2025, the NGSC was held in August as a concluding event to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh. Following the relocation of the EWC 2026 event Paris, France—a logistical pivot prompted by regional instability—the Esports Foundation has opted to maintain its core business assembly and national team assets within the Saudi capital, pairing the NGSC with the opening of the ENC rather than the close of the EWC.

Still, a satellite, invitation-only summit in Paris during the EWC is also confirmed as part of the NGSC 2026 framework.

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The 2026 conference will operate under the central agenda of “Defining Victory: Shaping Gaming for the Next Era of Competition – AI, Capital & Monetization.” Programming will focus on how artificial intelligence tools, shifting venture capital models, alternative club ownership structures, and evolving digital consumer behaviors are altering ecosystem value.

“The New Global Sport Conference has become a place where leaders across gaming, esports and sport come together to discuss what comes next. In 2026, we are expanding that position with two clear moments: Riyadh in November, alongside the Esports Nations Cup, and a curated Paris summit during the Esports World Cup. Together, they reflect NGSC’s ambition to connect people, their ideas, and partnerships that are shaping the future of global competition and defining what victory looks like,” said Hans Jagnow, Director of the New Global Sport Conference at the Esports Foundation.

To accommodate deeper institutional engagement, organisers are introducing an invitation-only preliminary day on October 30 for closed-door roundtables and workshops. Production and regional communication strategy for the assembly are being executed via partnerships with strategic advisory firm Richard Attias & Associates (RA&A) and Maanna Strategic Communications.

The integration between the conference and the country-level competition brings the ecosystem full circle, as the Esports Nations Cup initiative was originally announced on stage during the NGSC 2025. Despite the geographic fragmentation of the mid-summer EWC tournaments into Europe, the retention of the business summit and the 32-nation ENC main stage reinforces Riyadh’s strategy to host institutional esports infrastructure.

According to organisers, The previous 2025 conference attracted roughly 1,500 delegates and executives from legacy entertainment groups like Sony, Ubisoft, and Amazon.

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