USA Esports, a nonprofit public charity, was launched on March 16, 2026. The non-profit said that it aimed to serve as an independent, sustainable, and national body for esports in the United States.
Adding to its credibility, the nonprofit consecutively announced the USA Esports Alliance. This was a coalition of 11 leading esports organizations in the country along with 17 universities. It said that this was the first time these communities were coordinating under one banner.
The esports organizations involved are 100 Thieves, Dignitas, TSM, Spacestation Gaming, FlyQuest, Cloud9, Team Liquid, NRG, Misfits Gaming, M80, and Ghost Gaming.
Despite the big names, including six-time LCS champion Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg serving on the board of directors, the announcement of USA Esports was met with a bit of resistance—particularly because esports in the West haven’t had a history of independent federations regulating a publisher-led ecosystem.
Unlike traditional sports, in esports, the games are owned by the developer who gets the final say in what happens with its IP.
However, the USA Esports has further powers compared to other national federations. This is because it was subsequently announced as the National Team Partner (NTP) for the U.S.A. at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026. As part of this, it would be entrusted with selecting coaches and players to be a part of the ENC 2026.
In fact, the formation of the USA Esports likely happened as a result of the Esports Nations Cup.
Image credit: Esports Foundation
To get more clarity on the goals of USA Esports, along with how it views talent pathways, fans finally accepting a national model for esports to rally behind ‘Team USA’ at the ENC 2026, and more, Jaxon.gg spoke with Jesse Bodony, President and CEO of USA Esports.
Bodony: Alignment has been smoother than one might expect. Schools, pro-orgs, and players have told us that they see the value in a central organizing body as it relates to global, nation-based competitions.
Clearly, there is a longstanding precedent for this kind of entity in traditional sport with national governing bodies such as USA Hockey, USA Baseball, etc.
Esports, as a more nascent activity, has been an outlier. The hardest part for us is operational, as that entails building governance and compliance infrastructure that meets government-mandated standards while moving fast enough to serve our esports community in the right ways.
Everybody is ready and basically sees the value, we just have to build the plane right and deliver true value.
In the same way that a young kid gets inspired watching an Olympian, it gives them a dream. The national team puts a concrete, aspirational dream at the top of the pathway. It matters because it verticalizes everything beneath it.
When a high schooler can see a fairly direct line from their school team to a collegiate program to a national team, then the whole system starts to make sense.
In traditional athletics, the existence of the national team isn’t just to cater to Team USA athletes. It gives structure and aspiration to every level below it. That’s effectively what we believe the Esports Nations Cup will do for esports in the U.S.
It’s going to paint the picture at the top, and then every player at every level from K-12 through college through pro benefits from that picture existing.
Fans need something and someone to root for that’s real. Esports fans in North America mostly haven’t had the chance to rally behind a flag in esports organically. It’s not that Americans don’t care about national teams or national pride; it’s more because structure to express it has largely been missing.
Once fans see their favorite American players wearing USA across their chest, competing against other nations, I think the emotional connection will happen very fast. We’ve seen it work in every other sport, and I don’t see esports as being unique in that regard.
Winning helps a lot. But my main additional perspective is that the event has to matter on its own terms. If it feels like an exhibition or a side tournament, fans will treat it as such.
The ENC nation-vs-nation 16-game-titles structure, with significant money on the line, is a format that doesn’t exist anywhere else in esports right now. That’s the real strength of the event.
If the competition is legitimate, the rosters truly the best-available at the time for each nation, the event well executed, and the results carry weight, then you will have buy-in from fans.
Once fans feel like a win for their country actually means something and that the players themselves care, the emotional investment will follow naturally. That’s how every major international sporting event works. I don’t see a reason why esports would be any different.
Riyadh will play host to the ENC 2026. Image credit: Esports Foundation
The national team essentially serves as the bridge. Today, a VALORANT fan or a Rocket League fan have almost nothing in common structurally, but when both of those players are on a team wearing a USA jersey, and are competing for the same country, at the same event, that’s where you get a shared identity/fandom across esports that really didn’t exist before.
The ENC features more than a dozen great game titles which means fans who show up for one game get exposed to others under a banner they’ve already put stock into.
Again, you can look at traditional sports here; the Olympics don’t ask you to care about every sport, but you may find yourself watching the swimming or badminton or curling finals because your country is in it. The same principle applies here.
Featured image credit: Esports Foundation
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
