The road to ENC 2026 is officially underway. Following over 630 applications from 152 countries and territories, the EWCF has announced its National Team Partners (NTPs), and National Team Managers (NTMs) that will build the national rosters for each country ahead of the November finals in Riyadh.
How ENC 2026’s National Teams are structured
Given its nationality-focused participation system, the Esports Nations Cup will rely on National Teams instead of classic Esports organization directly. These National Teams can be represented by National Team Managers, often supported by National Team Partners. For some nations, where the EWCF has not announced a NTP or NTM, the organization’s staff will directly manage the nation’s entry into the event.
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- NTP & NTM – A partner org handles fan engagement and marketing; a manager runs daily operations.
- NTM Only – A single manager covers all coordination, without organization support.
- Regional Manager – Nations without an NTP or NTM are covered by EWCF staff. Players can still apply directly as a coach or team captain.
The biggest orgs backing ENC 2026 national teams
The entries with organizational backing are the ones that truly show just how seriously the traditional esports ecosystem is treating ENC. Brazil’s setup alone features most of the country’s top organizations. FURIA, MIBR, Loud, Fluxo, paiN Gaming, and Red Canids are all backing the Aliança Brasileira de Esports as the country’s NTP.
The USA has assembled an equally stacked coalition under USA Esports, with 100 Thieves, Cloud9, TSM, NRG, Dignitas, FlyQuest, and Spacestation Gaming among the supporting organizations. Argentina follows suit with 9z, KRÜ, AGS, FiRe, and ShindeN and 20+ other orgs.
In Europe, Spain’s setup under Lastlap SL is backed by KOI, Team Heretics, GiantX, and FC Barcelona Esports. Great Britain brings together Fnatic, the Football Association, Scottish Esports, and Esports Wales under the British Esports Federation. Finland has ENCE co-leading the charge alongside the Finnish Esports Federation, while Norway’s entry is backed by HEROIC.
Over in Asia, Japan’s setup features Zeta Division, DFM, Crazy Raccoon, Reject, and Fennel, among others. China’s national structure under JingYue includes Bilibili Gaming, Tyloo, Lynn Vision Gaming, and Xtreme Gaming. The U.A.E is backed by Team Nigma and Abu Dhabi Gaming.
All in all, the substantial organizational backing, combined with the $45M Prize & Development Fund, should ensure that many of each game’s top players take part in the competition.
