British Esports, Fnatic, the FA, UKETC, Esports Wales & Scottish Esports head Esports Nations Cup bid

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 22/01/2026

The British Esports Federation has outlined that it will pursue a bid for National Team Partner status for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 alongside its partners.

Those partners include notable bodies in the esports and sporting world, as the British Esports Federation aims to represent Great Britain in Riyadh in November.

As part of the announcement, British Esports is accepting applications for the role of National Team Manager.

Fnatic and English FA amongst partners in British Esports bid

The not-for-profit organisation provided the following list of partners for the bid:

• Fnatic
• The English Football Association (FA)
• The UK Esports Teams Committee (UKETC)
• Esports Wales
• Scottish Esports

British Esports enjoys the support of heavy-hitting organisations in Fnatic and the English FA, as well as the regional bodies of Esports Wales and Scottish Esports

The bid, therefore, includes representation from the three constituent parts of Britain, and three of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Esports Northern Ireland is not named in the bid. Esports News UK has reached out to the Ireland Esports Federation to confirm if Northern Ireland is included in its bid, but has received no reply.

The UKETC is a not-for-profit committee made up of esports organisations and bodies, of which Fnatic is a member, alongside Endpoint, Williams Esports, England Gaming, and others.

What are National Team Partners and Managers?

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) outlined the roles and responsibilities of National Team Partners and Managers in their representation framework, released earlier this month.

National Team Partners are the body in charge of representing the nation, organising their nation’s teams, marketing, creating content and performing other duties.

The National Team Manager is appointed by the National Team Partner as a liaison between the EWCF and the National Team Partner, also supporting several other aspects of the process, such as marketing activation.

As part of its process, British Esports and its partners have evidently decided to open up the process to allow applications for the National Team Manager role, rather than directly nominating the position.

The application process is currently open, but will close on January 26. The short turnaround is necessary as the application deadline for National Team Partnership is January 31.

Chair of the UKETC, Jeff Simpkins, is amongst those to put his application forward for the role, stating, “I believe I have the necessary skills, contacts & ability to do the nation proud.”

Ninjas in Pyjamas COO, Grant Rousseau, backed Simpkins bid, stating that the two would act as a “duo.”

“With his UK-focused background and relationships, together with my knowledge of Saudi/ENC setup/UK ecosystem, I believe we’d make an incredible duo to lead the way for the British esports system at ENC,” the former Falcons Global Director of Esports and Operations said.

The EWCF described the National Team Partner and National Team Manager roles as such:

“National Team Partners will serve as the official national counterparts for the ENC 2026, within their respective countries and territories, with the responsibility of building and representing their national esports teams on the global stage. In partnership with the EWCF, they will coordinate team representation for the ENC, oversee and support national team coaches per game title, and coordinate with game partners and Clubs within the ENC framework.

Beyond competition, National Team Partners will shape their national team identity through marketing, communications, and community engagement, and collaborate with creators, media, and public institutions to mobilise their local communities to build national fandom for their teams.

While National Team Partners are responsible for the organisation and representation of national teams, the competitive integrity and player eligibility remain governed by ENC rules and game partner-aligned processes.

Each selected National Team Partner will nominate a National Team Manager who will serve as the public lead and primary representative of the national team. They will act as the primary contact between the EWCF and the local ecosystem team, supporting coordination, representation and activation at the country and territory level, and are formally confirmed by the EWCF.”

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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