Esports Foundation launches the largest creator program for its world and country tournaments

PARIS/RIYADH: The Esports Foundation, the organization behind the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup, has opened applications for its 2026 Creator Program — the largest co-streaming initiative in esports and a deepening of the body’s growth strategy.

Co-streaming has been central to how the EWC reaches fans across the world. In 2025, 3,500 co-streamers were one of the key growth pillars for EWC viewership, bringing the tournament’s biggest moments into communities across every region, platform, and language.

The program reflects the foundation’s view of how media is being consumed today. Audiences increasingly experience the events they love on their own terms — personalized, on demand, and through the lens of creators they trust.

Recognizing that shift, the EF is committing $2 million in rewards to fuel creators’ growth through the program. The 2026 Creator Program aims to scale to 5,000 creators across new regions and platforms.

The program runs across both the EWC 2026 in Paris this summer and the inaugural ENC 2026 in Riyadh this November, and is built as a lasting pillar of how the EF grows esports, not a one-off for a single edition.

“This isn’t just an esports trend; it’s a media trend,” said Wasae Imran, the foundation’s director for broadcast and distribution. “Across music, video, news and sport, audiences don’t just watch what they’re given anymore.

“They choose their own experience: what to watch, where to focus, and how deep to go. Esports just lives further down that road than most, and traditional sport is heading the same way.

“It’s not about delivering a match in one format, it’s about opening up every way into the same moment and letting fans choose how they want to consume it. The