The Esports World Cup Basis (EWCF) introduced a record-breaking $70 million-plus prize pool for the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC).
Billed because the world’s largest esports occasion, it’s set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 by August 24. With the best stakes in esports historical past, the prize pool elevates EWC as one of many world’s most prestigious sporting occasions and reinforces the EWCF’s long-term dedication to the sustainable progress of the esports {industry}.
The full prize pool is a $10 million enhance from final summer time’s inaugural occasion, marking a big step within the Esports World Cup Basis’s mission to create life-changing alternatives and supply sustainable profession paths for aggressive gamers and multidisciplinary esports golf equipment. The placement of the cup in Riyadh reveals the blossoming market within the Center East, but it surely additionally stays a controversial location for some. I attended the occasion final 12 months together with its closing.
“The record-breaking $70+ million prize pool, together with our dedication to the Membership Companion Program and our multi-year writer agreements, is a privilege to announce and validation of our objective to raise the {industry}, by giving gamers, golf equipment, publishers and all different stakeholders the steadiness wanted to take a position for future success,” mentioned Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Basis, in a press release. “Whereas greater than $70 million is an unimaginable, life-changing sum, it’s at all times aligned with a long-term imaginative and prescient somewhat than short-term impression. It’s not simply to have extra money at stake, however to create alternatives for everybody at each degree of the ecosystem, and strengthen the {industry} for generations to return.”
With 25 tournaments in 24 video games introduced to this point, together with 4 new video games—Chess, Crossfire, Deadly Fury: Metropolis of the Wolves and Valorant—EWC 2025 will convey collectively greater than 2,000 elite esports gamers and 200 high Golf equipment for the most important multi-game competitors in historical past, with a life-changing prize pool rewarding extra gamers and Golf equipment on the world’s greatest stage. Tickets for EWC 2025 are actually accessible to buy at esportsworldcup.com.
The EWC Membership Championship, the progressive cross-game aggressive format distinctive to the EWC, will award $27 million of the $70+ million whole to the highest 16 Golf equipment based mostly on their total efficiency, with $7 million allotted for the 2025 winner. After the Membership Championship’s $27 million allocation, the rest of the whole prize pool shall be divided into three distribution classes: Sport Championships, MVP Awards, and qualifiers on the Highway to EWC.
Every of the Sport Championships can have its prize pool with a mixed whole exceeding $38 million. As well as, a $450,000 MVP Award pool shall be allotted to standout individuals throughout all competitions. Greater than $5 million shall be awarded to the Highway to EWC qualifiers, the place groups and gamers compete for the remaining match spots by eligible occasions hosted by partnered publishers and organizers.
The 2024 occasion attracted over 500 million on-line viewers and a couple of.6 million guests to Riyadh’s Boulevard Metropolis. On the inaugural EWC in 2024, Workforce Falcons captured the world’s consideration, operating up the leaderboard with 10 top-three finishes, together with three first-place placements, to earn 5,665 factors and finally win the $7 million Membership Championship title. North American Workforce Liquid completed in second place with 2,545 factors and French Workforce BDS positioned third with 2,000 factors.
“Profitable the Membership Championship crown and $7 million on the inaugural Esports World Cup was a defining second for Workforce Falcons,” mentioned Mosaad Al-Dossary, CEO of Workforce Falcons, in a press release. “The chance to compete in entrance of our residence followers, the place they made the arenas shake with each nice play, motivated us like by no means earlier than, and it was an honor to safe the victory for them. We’ve used the momentum and winnings from final 12 months to construct on our success and we stay up for persevering with that legacy this summer time.”
“Competing on the inaugural EWC contributed to probably the most profitable aggressive years in our 24-year historical past, securing a powerful second-place end within the EWC 2024 Membership Championship,” mentioned Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Workforce Liquid, in a press release. “With our winnings, we expanded into new video games like chess, strengthened our worldwide presence in Southeast Asia, and supported philanthropic initiatives. The expertise, momentum, and rosters we’ve constructed over the previous 12 months put us within the good place to say the Championship crown at EWC 2025. We imagine this to be our 12 months.”
The complete lineup of video games for the EWC 2025 introduced to this point embody, in alphabetical order: Apex Legends, Name of Obligation: Black Ops 6, Name of Obligation: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports activities FC 25, FATAL FURY: Metropolis of the Wolves, Free Fireplace, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Cellular Legends Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG Cellular, Rainbow Six Siege, Rennsport, Rocket League, Starcraft ||, Road Fighter 6, Teamfight Techniques, and VALORANT. Together with the elevated prize pool, EWCF is increasing its help for your entire esports {industry} by numerous partnerships with different leagues and competitions.
Latest agreements with the likes of Riot Video games, Activision and Capcom will see the EWCF help exterior competitions with sources that additional assist the steadiness of esports circuits and the {industry} as a complete, whereas growing the pathways for gamers to achieve the Esports World Cup every year.
The EWCF not too long ago introduced that 40 high Golf equipment joined its industry-leading EWCF Membership Companion Program that may present monetary help for Golf equipment to develop their model and international fanbase: 100 Thieves, All Players, Bilibili Gaming, Cloud9, Edward Gaming, EVOS, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, FURIA, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G, Mild Mates, HEROIC, JD Gaming, Karmine Corp., Movistar KOI, LEVIATAN, LOUD, MOUZ, NAVI, NIP.eStar, ONIC, POWR, REJECT, S8UL, Sentinels, T1, Workforce BDS, Workforce Falcons, Workforce Liquid, Workforce RRQ, Workforce Secret, Workforce Spirit, Workforce Vitality, Twisted Minds, Virtus.professional, Weibo Gaming, Wolves Esports, ZETA DIVISION.
The Esports World Cup 2025 will as soon as once more unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a worldwide competitors that may crown the subsequent Esports World Cup Champion. The match’s distinctive cross-game format will reward Golf equipment and gamers competing for a life-changing prize pool throughout a mixture of platforms and genres, bringing collectively esports’ finest groups, gamers and video games beneath one banner within the largest-ever celebration of esports.
Moreover, the New International Sport Convention, a premier occasion uniting international leaders in esports, gaming, sports activities, leisure, and expertise to form the way forward for international sports activities, will return to Riyadh on August 23-24, 2025.
The convention that bridges East and West to drive transformative international initiatives will see 1,500 {industry} leaders and decision-makers collect to collaborate on the expansion and future of those dynamic industries. For extra info, go to www.https://newglobalsportconference.com/.
