ENC 2026 is scheduled to take place in Riyadh - Saudi Arabia from November 2 to 29. 2026. This event marks an important step in the development of Vietnamese e-sports in the process of international integration, when athletes will compete under the national flag, representing the nation on the world e-sports stage.
In the context of strong digital transformation taking place globally, e-sports are emerging as a field of intersection between technology, sports and creative economy, playing an increasingly important role in the structure of the digital economy.
In Vietnam, with a community of more than 28 million participants and a rapidly developing ecosystem and increasingly affirmed international competitiveness, e-sports are identified as one of the driving forces promoting the sports economy and expanding the space for international integration.
In parallel with the domestic development orientation, on the international level, the Esports Foundation has officially announced the Vietnam Electronic Sports and Entertainment Association (VIRESA) as a national partner in Vietnam for ENC 2026.
With this role, VIRESA will be responsible for establishing and operating Vietnamese national e-sports teams in many sports, supervising the selection of players, and building foundational structures to serve long-term training, competition and development.
In this structure, Ms. Cao Thi Thu Phuong - General Secretary of VIRESA - was appointed as Country Director in Vietnam, playing the role of coordinating team operations, connecting stakeholders and ensuring compliance with competition standards, regulations and operating principles of ENC.
At ENC 2026, the Vietnamese e-sports team is expected to participate in 10 sports, focusing on sports with strengths and international achievement platforms such as PUBG Mobile, VALORANT, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Teamfight Tactics, PUBG and many other sports. These are sports in which Vietnamese athletes have achieved high results, and at the same time possess a rich successor force, creating a foundation to aim to compete with leading countries in the world.
In recent years, Vietnamese e-sports athletes have been affirming their increasingly clear presence in the international arena, not only in the national team jersey but also through competing for professional clubs in the region and around the world.
Many Vietnamese players have participated in top tournaments, competing fairly with strong opponents, thereby gradually affirming the position of Vietnamese e-sports human resources on the global map.
The Esports Nations Cup is held periodically every two years, with the first edition taking place in Riyadh in November 2026 before switching to a rotation model between cities around the world.
ENC is positioned as a supporting structure for the Esports World Cup (EWC) - a club-level tournament held annually - thereby forming a comprehensive competition ecosystem, where club and national team levels go hand in hand, creating a stable foundation for players and long-term investment orientation for development programs.
For Vietnam, participating in ENC 2026 is not only a milestone in competition, but also a strategic step in the journey of building e-sports in a national, professional and integrated direction, contributing to realizing the goal of bringing Vietnamese sports to develop strongly in the digital age and gradually affirming its position on the global sports map.
