New Global Sport Conference returns to Riyadh ahead of Esports Nations Cup 2026

RIYADH: The Esports Foundation has announced the return of the New Global Sport Conference to Riyadh from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026, the global nation-based esports competition, which starts on Nov. 2.

NGSC26, which is being hosted at the Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre, brings together leaders across gaming, esports, sport, entertainment, technology, and investment to foster collaboration that will help shape the future of these industries. Tickets for the event are now available.

Ahead of the main conference in Riyadh, NGSC26 will host a curated, invitation-only summit during the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, marking the NGSC’s first international edition outside Saudi Arabia.

This year’s theme, “Defining Victory: Shaping Gaming for the Next Era of Competition — AI, Capital & Monetization,” reflects the shift in how success is understood across gaming, esports, and sport.

The conference will explore how artificial intelligence, new capital models, ownership structures, commercial innovation and fan behavior are changing the ways the industry creates value, builds ecosystems, and defines success.

New for this year’s edition, NGSC26 hosts an invitation-only opening day on Oct. 30, featuring curated networking, workshops, high-level meetings, and roundtables ahead of the main conference agenda.

Hans Jagnow, the director of the NGSC at the Esports Foundation, said: “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