The city of Los Angeles, an epicenter of sport championship events, is adding yet another tournament to its host list: global competitive esports.
The Global Esports Federation announced Tuesday that it had selected the city of Los Angeles to host the 2026 Global Esports World Finals Games, with the Los Angeles Times Media Group Serving as a host partner.
“The Los Angeles 2026 games will stand as a symbol of how esports is shaping the next generation, driving opportunity for building digital skills and inspiring cultural change,” said Paul Foster, CEO of the Global Esports Federation, from The Times building in El Segundo.
The media group will embark on reinventing a warehouse adjacent to The Times building, off of Imperial Highway, which will become a virtual arena for players and spectators, said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Los Angeles Times Media Group’s executive chairman.
“We now have a challenge where by July 2026, Los Angeles’ first and largest global esports stadium will have to be built on this campus and El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel has graciously given us his support,” Soon-Shiong said.
The arena will house the weeklong competition and event celebration slated for Dec. 4, 2026.
Los Angeles and El Segundo beat out eight other international cities prior to selection, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the two cities were uniquely positioned to host the global event. “We are adding yet another major international event to the lineup, showing that Los Angeles is where the world comes to compete in every form, from the field to the arena to the digital stage.”
This is the first time the esports world finals will be hosted in the United States. The relatively new global competition has been held previously in Singapore, Istanbul, Riyadh and Lima.
The competitive video gaming event will feature a mix of team sports and individual games and an estimated 1,000 athletes representing more than 100 countries.
