Media Release:

Local team with long-standing experience in Australian esports selected to ensure a national team and local communities engaged for Australian representation on the global stage

The Esports Foundation (EF) today awarded National Team Partner status to organisations and individuals across more than 100 nations and territories for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC).

As part of the global nation-based esports competition, the ENC will work with local stakeholders closest to the sport to strengthen connections and support long-term national development. In this process, Events Engine has been selected as the National Team Partner for Australia.

Alongside the selection of Events Engine, the National Team Manager for Australia role has been announced, as Events Engine co-director, Hayden Shiels. Working together as National Partner and National Manager, the players and coaches who will make up the Australian squad will be the best available to represent Australia and show the world our gaming skills.

“As a team with deep engagement to esports events and communities, we are pleased to be providing Australian players with the opportunity to compete on the global stage” said Daniel Chlebowczyk, Managing Director at Events Engine. “Our proven track record in providing actively engaging esports events, with a team who care deeply about Australian esports, built on our own professional player, coach, and event organiser backgrounds, we are confident in our ability to best represent Aussie players. Thanks to player requests and endorsements we take on this responsibility for the community.”

ENC has announced that National Team Partners will lead team formation, mobilise local communities and establish the structures needed to enable participation and the growth of esports.

“The Esports Nations Cup is built on a simple idea: players should have a trusted pathway to represent their country, and fans should have a national team they can truly rally behind” said Hans Jagnow, Director, National Team Relations, The Esports Foundation. “From the start, our focus has been on the quality of the partnerships and structures behind that journey, matched with the scale to make a global event. The response from our partners around the world gives us real confidence that ENC is not just a new competition, but an innovative new model for national esports – the beginning of a new chapter in esports“

Recognising that esports has developed differently in many nations, the ENC adopts a partnership-led approach rather than relying on a single model, marking a first in global sport and esports alike. By working with recognised local stakeholders, whether institutions, Clubs, or community-led organisations, this model is designed to unlock the full creative and competitive potential of each nation.

The ENC will launch in Riyadh in November 2026 before moving to a rotating city model. The biennial ENC aims to provide a stable structure for players and long-term investment in national team programs.

Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks. To stay up to date, visit esportsnationscup.com