The Esports Foundation (EF, formerly the Esports World Cup Foundation) is engaged in ongoing conversations with local stakeholders regarding South Korea’s participation in the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh. The discussions follow the parting of ways between the EF and the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), previously the official National Team Partner for the country at ENC.
According to findings by The Esports Radar, KeSPA might have faced challenges in meeting certain operational deadlines, which motivated the EF to move on to find a new partner understanding that the upcoming Asian Games 2026, in September, was a major cause of the association’s availability and resources being more limited than usual. A report from Seoul Sports, however, has suggested that KeSPA’s departure was also influenced by an interference from EF on the national team’s roster composition.
In response to the public questioning, the Esports Foundation issued a statement framing the end of the partnership as a pragmatic adjustment to KeSPA’s heavy 2026 workload.
“A few days ago, the Esports Foundation informed KeSPA that we would not be moving forward together as our national partner for the Esports Nations Cup 2026,” EF said. “We recognise this is a demanding year for KeSPA given the Asian Games participation and the operational focus that brings, and we wish them every success in the busy year ahead.”
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EF also denied interference in player choice: “In ENC, coach selections sit with national team managers and player selections are with the coaches; in some games or cases selections are made based on merit-based principles. International and domestic results and performance are at the core of ENC nominations to the national teams.”
The statement emphasised that the commitment to having Korean players at ENC 2026 remains “unchanged” and that the EF will now work to nominate a new National Team Partner in the country to engage with teams, coaches, and players to form a representative squad.
The Esports Radar has reached out to both organisations for further clarity. We asked the Esports Foundation to address any questions regarding roster selection and whether other national partners are at risk of similar changes. We also enquired how they plan to manage LCK (League of Legends Korea Champions) players, who have traditionally been connected with KeSPA.
Meanwhile, we asked KeSPA to clarify the circumstances of the departure. None of the requests were answered at the time of this writing.
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