The Esports Creator Program is now accepting applications for 2026, featuring its biggest co-streaming initiative yet and expanding creator support across the Esports World Cup and the inaugural Esports Nations Cup. Backed by the Esports Foundation (EF), the program aims to grow to 5,000 creators worldwide while investing USD2 million in rewards designed to help creators reach new audiences and grow their communities.
Co-streaming has become one of the defining ways fans experience competitive gaming, and the Esports Foundation is doubling down on that strategy following the success of the 2025 Esports World Cup. Last year’s event featured 3,500 co-streamers who helped bring tournament coverage to audiences across different regions, languages, and streaming platforms.
Rather than viewing co-streaming as a complementary broadcast channel, EF sees it as a core part of how esports audiences increasingly consume live events. Fans now prefer personalized viewing experiences delivered by creators they already follow and trust, making co-streaming an increasingly important part of the esports ecosystem.
Building on that momentum, the Esports Creator Program will expand to 5,000 creators across additional regions and platforms in 2026. The initiative will support both the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris from July 6 to August 3, and the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 in Riyadh this November, reinforcing creator-led coverage as a long-term pillar of the Foundation’s growth strategy rather than a one-off campaign.
“This isn’t just an esports trend; it’s a media trend,” said Wasae Imran, director of broadcast & distribution at the Esports Foundation. “Across music, video, news and sport, audiences don’t just watch what they’re given anymore. They choose their own experience: what to watch, where to focus, and how deep to go. Esports just lives further down that road than most, and traditional sport is heading the same way. It’s not about delivering a match in one format, it’s about opening up every way into the same moment and letting fans choose how they want to consume it. The Creator Program is how we build for that, by enabling the growth of creators that fans already trust to carry the world’s biggest esports event into every community.”
Supporting Creator Growth
The Creator Program is backed by EF’s wider ecosystem, which works with publishers and streaming platforms to make co-streaming more accessible and rewarding. Beyond providing broadcast access, the program offers creators tools, discoverability opportunities, and platform-specific benefits designed to help them build larger audiences.
Approved creators can co-stream eligible tournaments, complete missions, and climb leaderboard rankings through a Battle Pass progression system that unlocks rewards for both creators and their communities.
Rewards range from gift cards, gaming gear, and consoles to streaming platform perks and invitations to both the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nations Cup.
The program supports creators across several major streaming platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Bilibili, Huya, and CHZZK, among others.