Planned for this November, the
Esports Nations Cup is arguably the most intriguing competitive esports project in years, both in terms of its scale and its ambitions. Those ambitions were reflected once again in the partnership announced on July 30, as the Esports Foundation, the organization behind the event, unveiled a deal with adidas, one of the world's most recognizable sportswear brands.
Featuring sixteen competitions spread across four weeks in Riyadh, the event is expected to welcome thousands of players and staff members from around the world. So far, nearly 110 nations have qualified, with EA SPORTS FC and
Mobile Legends qualifiers still to be completed. Unlike the Esports World Cup, which is also organized by the Foundation, the ENC is a national team competition. While this is not the first event of its kind, it is the first to be held on such a large scale and, above all, with this level of financial backing behind the project.
For “prestige”
In the
press release published alongside the announcement, Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer at the Esports Foundation, highlighted the importance of this partnership in strengthening the event's credibility. According to him, "
by partnering with adidas, one of the most iconic brands in global sport, we are giving esports athletes the opportunity to represent their nations on the world stage with the same sense of meaning and prestige seen across traditional sport." He also expressed hope that "
this partnership will help the Esports Nations Cup create powerful national moments and inspire a new generation of players and fans."
That sentiment was echoed by Phillip Waller, adidas SVP Brand Development, who welcomed the agreement for such a major event. As he explained, "we understand the role a jersey plays in identity, belonging and competition," adding that "the Esports Nations Cup gives us the opportunity to bring that experience into esports at a global scale."
Among participating nations such as France, Brazil, Zambia, and India, many do not have dedicated commercial partners in place. For a large number of countries competing at the ENC, the national teams have been assembled specifically for the event by groups of organizations or independent stakeholders, reflecting how new this large-scale national team model is in esports.
However, the adidas partnership also raises questions, particularly in South Korea. The KeSPA, or Korea e-Sports Association, is a long-established and more official governing body that already has its own commercial partners, including GOAL, which has served as T1's apparel partner since 2023. As a result, it would appear logical for GOAL to handle the jerseys for the "Team Korea of Esports," a national team that KeSPA has officially supported for the past several months.
