UFCEP withdraws its bid to lead the French national team at the Esports Nations Cup

In an unexpected announcement published on LinkedIn this Thursday, the French Union of Professional Esports Clubs (UFCEP) said that it is withdrawing its bid to lead the French national team at the Esports Nations Cup. The UFCEP had been publicly competing with another major stakeholder in the French ecosystem, France Esports. However, the outcome of the selection process has yet to be disclosed, and UFCEP’s withdrawal does not automatically imply that France Esports has been selected.

“This decision follows recent developments regarding the selection process and the project’s overall framework,” the UFCEP stated. “Discussions led to the consideration of governance and partnership conditions that did not align with the vision upheld by professional clubs. In the absence of alignment on these structural elements, and despite the proposals put forward, the clubs and their partners reached an impasse, making it impossible to continue the bid.”

The UFCEP’s candidacy, which brings together several prominent organizations from the French scene—such as , , , Mandatory, , Gentle Mates, and —naturally benefited from strong support among fans. The union also enjoyed backing at an institutional level. “UFCEP welcomes the support expressed at the highest level of the State by the President of the Republic, recognizing the collective work carried out over the past year to structure and represent not only professional esports but also French fans,” the organization had stated on LinkedIn last month.

While the association will not oversee the French delegation in Saudi Arabia, its member clubs will remain involved, as emphasized in the statement. “This decision does not reflect a withdrawal of our members from the initiative, nor from their ambition to contribute to France’s international presence,” the union noted. “On the contrary, it reflects a commitment to coherence and responsibility in relation to a project that is structuring for the French ecosystem.”

In keeping with this position, UFCEP member clubs will not prevent players from representing France should they be selected for the competition. Arthur Perticoz, Secretary General of the union, announced just hours after the initial statement that he would host a stream this Thursday at 18:00 CET to provide further details on the situation. The Esports Nations Cup is scheduled to take place in Riyadh from November 2 to 29 and will feature nearly 120 nations competing across 16 titles, including League of Legends, VALORANT, and Rocket League.

The Esports Foundation is tasked with appointing a national partner for each country to manage its delegation, including the selection of rosters for the event. Nations will be able to finalize their lineups across the different titles until the end of April. For most games, some teams will be directly invited based on player performance, while additional qualification tournaments will be held to complete each competition’s field.