ENC Unveils Over 100 Partners, Including Fnatic and The FA, to Represent Great Britain
Several esports organizations in the UK have come together to represent Great Britain at the first-ever Esports Nations Cup.
Fnatic, based in London, has partnered with The English Football Association through England Gaming, along with the British Esports Federation, Esports Wales, Scottish Esports, and the UK Esports Team Committee (UKETC) to create a unified National Team Partner.
Jeff Simpkins, who has previously led teams like Resolve and the England Gaming squad at the FIFAe World Cup, has been appointed as the National Team Manager for Great Britain. He will be responsible for selecting coaches for each game title and will collaborate with industry veterans such as Michael ‘ODEE’ O’Dell from Scan Computers, NIP Group COO Grant Rousseau, and The FA Esports and Gaming Lead Saahib Reehal for guidance.
The announcement was made in a video featuring UK esports players like Jack ‘ApparentlyJack’ Benton, a Rocket League competitor for Geekay Esports, and Jack ‘Doki’ Robertson, a Rainbow Six: Siege player for G2 Esports, among others.
This development follows a bid submitted earlier this year to represent Great Britain at the ENC, which included an open call for team manager applications.
Jeff Simpkins, the National Team Manager, expressed, “Representing your country in any capacity is an incredible experience, but to do so at this scale, across 16 titles, is what makes this a really unique competition. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously, and I’m looking forward to building competitive teams alongside a group of very strong coaches while managing the demands that come with representing Great Britain on the international stage.”
SUBHEAD://
ENC announces 100+ partner nations
The Esports Nations Cup has revealed that over 100 partner nations will be participating, including USA Esports, whose teams will compete this year.
The inaugural event is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 02-29, 2026. Future tournaments will follow a rotating city model.
The competition will feature 16 game titles, with other participating nations including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam, and more. The complete list is available on the ENC website.
The Esports Foundation (EF), the creators of the ENC and the Esports World Cup, funded by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), reported receiving over 630 applications from 150 countries and territories for this nation-based tournament.
The ENC is supported by a three-part funding commitment totaling $45 million, which includes $20 million in prize money for players and coaches, $5 million in incentives for esports clubs that allow their professional players to participate, and an additional $20 million through the previously announced ENC Development Fund to assist Official National Team Partners with logistics, travel, program operations, and marketing.
