Three days of competition, thousands of enthusiasts and nearly 100 nationalities gathered at Nice’s Exhibition Palace. Evo France closes its doors tonight on a balance sheet that bodes well for the future of E-sports. Between logistical successes, territorial integration and international ambition, Bertrand Amar, co-founder of N.E.O. and major figure in E-sports, reviews this 2026 edition and reveals growth prospects for the event.
What is your assessment of this edition after a record previous year?
« A very positive assessment! The big challenge was the first edition in 2025 because it was a big leap into the unknown for us. We had never organized an Evo nor organized an event at the Exhibition Palace. We had to imagine the experience for players and spectators.
This year, we knew what we were doing. We were able to improve many things. With eight official tournaments (versus seven last year) and the integration of numerous community tournaments on the first floor to allow eliminated players to continue playing and have fun. We also welcomed more artists from around the world who came to sell merchandise. And the most visible improvement is the main screen, now perfectly visible from any point in the hall.
Beyond logistics, attendance is up and we welcomed players from 95 different countries. We are delighted.
Should we expect even more spectacular things in the future, particularly here in Nice?
My love story with e-sports in Nice started with the LFL (French League of League of Legends) in 2022, 2023 and 2024 at the Nikaïa Palace. It was at that time that the city of Nice asked me how to take things to the next level internationally. At the same time, I was discussing with Evo about bringing the brand to Europe.
Nice checked all the boxes, an international airport, an ideal setting, suitable hotel capacity. Since then, the city continues to shine on the esports scene, notably by hosting the LEC finals two weeks ago.
Today, we are already thinking with the new municipal team to continue to develop Nice on the international scene and bring new gaming communities.
EVO France as world leader
Where do you place Evo France compared to the historic editions in Las Vegas and Tokyo?
Global Evo is structured like a Formula 1 circuit. There will be regional events that won’t have the same dimension (such as the editions announced in Morocco or Brazil), and a major top three: Evo US, Evo Japan and Evo France.
Evo France has the ambition to continue growing. Due to its geographical position, this event is the one that brought together the most nationalities in the world. It clearly has the vocation to become, in time, even bigger and why not even the biggest Evo in the world.
What is your assessment of the French team’s performances this weekend against Asian and American players?
The French delegation was the largest and represented about half of the entries, which increased our chances. We always dream of seeing a Frenchman win a title in France but unfortunately, even though we had great performances, no Frenchman will win Evo at home this year.
It’s a disappointment because we are biased, but it reminds us of the extreme difficulty of this competition. In 25 years, only two French players have won an Evo (Luffy in 2014 and Wawa in 2022, both in Las Vegas).
Is there still an image you take away from this tournament?
Absolutely. In the Top 8 of Street Fighter, we had a 15-year-old Japanese player who came with his father, and a player over 40 years old.
That’s all the beauty of Evo. The average age of participants was 31 years old last year, which is much higher than in the rest of E-sports. Street Fighter will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027 and achieves the feat of perhaps pitting 15-year-old teenagers against their 40-year-old elders. And alongside that, recent games like Marvel Tokon, released in August, brought together nearly 1,000 participants this weekend. It’s proof of a multi-generational scene that is alive and constantly renewing itself. »
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