Team GB issues statement on Esports Nations Cup postponement as questions remain over rosters

Ollie Ring, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 19/08/2026

British Esports has issued a statement following the postponement of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), with questions remaining over what the year-long delay means for Team GB’s existing player selections.

The statement, published yesterday on the British Esports website, recognises the decision to move the Riyadh event from 2026 to November 2027, adding that the “safety and welfare of the players, coaches and staff is our top priority.”

However, British Esports has not yet confirmed whether previously announced rosters will remain in place for 2027.

“As to how this may affect team selections or anything else from a Great Britain perspective, given this is a developing situation, we will await further developments and will be sure to bring you any updates as soon as we have them,” the statement said.

Great Britain has qualified to compete across 11 ENC titles, following a lengthy qualification process.

Preparations for the event have long been underway, with British Esports, Esports Wales, Fnatic, Scottish Esports, The FA via England Gaming and the UK Esports Team Committee making up ‘Great Britain’s National Team Partner’ back in March.

Several rosters have since been announced, including teams for Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League, while Great Britain’s League of Legends lineup features prominent UK names including Jordan “Shikari” Pointon, Matthew “Deadly” Smith and Raymond “Kasing” Tsang.

Great Britain also qualified for the Dota 2 main event through the EU West qualifier, with the TeaGuvnor-led squad progressing through the lower-bracket and joining Finland in the last EU West spot.

For now, those teams face an additional year before the ENC takes place, and they’ll likely be stuck in an anxious state of limbo for a little while. Each team and player will be looking for further clarification on whether qualification results and selected rosters will carry over unchanged.

British Esports signed off the release, thanking the players, coaches, staff, partners, and wider esports community for its “support and understanding”, adding that it remains excited for the country to take to the stage in Riyadh when the event eventually takes place in 2027.

Ollie Ring, Senior Editor

Ollie has been at the intersection of video games, esports, and gambling for over ten years and has also worked in consultancy in the gambling industry. He has helped host and attended numerous UK esports events both B2B and B2C in the last decade. Ollie's work can be found on the likes of: BBC, Red Bull Gaming, Esports Insider, CasinoBeats, PC Gamer, Green Man Gaming as well as his own thought-leadership substack "Esprouts" looking at specific studies and stories where games meet gambling.

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