2024 Esports Tournaments & Series with Largest Prize Pools
The size of the prize pool is one of the key indicators of a tournament's prestige in esports. Mind-blowing amounts of money at stake are what outsiders of the industry pay attention to. That's what also brings non-endemic brands, which later became sponsors of professional esports players and teams.
Here are some of the largest events & event series of 2024 that stand out from the rest with the largest prize pools in various disciplines. Details of some of them are still undisclosed, so the article will be updated once new info is revealed.
Esports Events of 2024 with Biggest Prize Pools
Million-dollar tournaments were quite rare just ten years ago. Typically, only the key championships at the end of gaming seasons could boast such sums; but nowadays, almost every discipline has several such tournaments to its name. For instance, there are five million-dollar tournaments planned for 2024 in Counter-Strike alone. Four such events have been announced so far in Dota 2, but this number will surely grow by the end of the year when the prize pools for The International 2024 and Riyadh Masters 2024 are revealed.
There are also plans for even larger tournaments with prize pools of over $3 million. For example, both the PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2024 and the PUBG Mid Season Tournament 2024 will have $3 million at stake. Participants in the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024 will also compete for a similar amount, making it the largest prize pool in the history of the discipline.
The prize pool for the February tournament Six Invitational 2024 is also $3 million. In August, as part of the Esports World Cup, the Honor of Kings Mid-Season Invitational 2024 will take place, featuring a similar prize pool. The coveted $3 million mark has now become a sort of new gold standard in esports, sought after by almost all top disciplines.
#5 Intel Grand Slam — $4 250 000 (+ $1 000 000 for winners)
Photo: ESL Faceit Group
The Intel Grand Slam is not a standalone event but rather a series of tournaments for Counter-Strike 2. The fifth season began back in 2023 and will conclude in October 2024. In total, a prize pool of $4.25 million will be distributed throughout the season. Six more tournaments will be played by the end of the year, with the largest ones being IEM Katowice 2024 and IEM Cologne 2024.
In addition to regular prizes, the Intel Grand Slam also offers a separate reward for a series of victories. A team that wins four out of the ten IGS tournaments within one season will receive a million dollars in the form of gold bars. So far, only four teams have achieved this feat: Astralis, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, and FaZe Clan.
The current season of the Intel Grand Slam is the fifth installment, and six teams are currently vying for the top prize: Team Spirit, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, G2 Esports, Team Falcons, and Team Vitality. Each of them has one victory in the series, and if they manage to secure three more, they will receive a million dollars.
#4 The International 2024 — ?
Aegis of Champions / Photo: Valve
For over a decade, Dota 2 has stood out brightly among other esports disciplines, all thanks to The International series, where the largest prize pools in the industry were up for grabs. The absolute record was set at The International 2021, where teams battled for $40 million. However, the series experienced a sharp decline right after that tournament.
The prize pool was only $3.3 million at The International 2023: this would have been a substantial amount for any other esports title, but not for Dota 2. Despite the drastic reduction in prizes, Dota 2 fans still expect the situation to stabilize at The International 2024. Perhaps Valve's flagship tournament of the year won't be able to offer participants tens of millions in prizes anymore, but Dota 2 fans can still expect $3-5 million.
#3 - Fortnite Champion Series 2024 — $7 675 000
Photo: fortnite.com
The organizers of the Fortnite Champion Series have announced that they will be awarding over $7.6 million across the series' events in 2024. This sum will include three stages of majors in different regions, as well as the grand final tournament, FNCS 2024 Global Championship, with a prize pool of $2 million.
In terms of total prize money, Fortnite Champion Series has surpassed such as series Intel Extreme Masters, BLAST Premier, ESL Pro Tour, and DreamLeague. However, unlike tournaments for Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2, the FNCS series remains relatively accessible to ordinary gamers: anyone willing can participate, provided they perform well in the open qualifiers in their region.
The FNCS 2024 Global Championship will take place on September 7-8, but the exact location of the event is currently unknown. It's worth noting that the FNCS 2023 final was held in Copenhagen at the Royal Arena.
#2 - Honor of Kings Invitational Championship 2024 — $10 000 000
The KIC 2022 Finals / Photo: Tencent
In 2019, the main tournament for Honor of Kings awarded $4.5 million in prizes, and the prize money had grown to $10 million by 2023. The Honor of Kings Invitational Championship has been the most popular tournament in mobile esports for several years in a row and is likely to maintain this status in 2024.
Currently, there is great excitement surrounding Honor of Kings due to the game's global release. For almost a decade, this mobile title has dominated the domestic esports scene in China, but in 2024, the game will finally be available worldwide. Its release is planned for June 20, although servers in some MENA countries will launch as early as February. It's worth noting that two years ago, Honor of Kings was also selectively launched in Brazil, Turkey, and some countries in Southeast Asia.
With the global release, the developers of Honor of Kings are making big plans for the international esports scene. A tournament roadmap has already been outlined, with the first event scheduled to take place in Istanbul in early March. As for the Honor of Kings Invitational Championship 2024, all that is known so far is that the event will take place in October. The prize pool for the championship has not been announced yet, but based on previous years' experience, it's safe to assume that this event will likely be in the top 5 in terms of prize money awarded.
#1 - Esports World Cup — $45 000 000
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman / Photo: forbesmiddleeast.com
In 2023, Riyadh hosted the large esports festival Gamers8 The Land of Heroes, where tournaments in various disciplines awarded $45 million in prizes. The event lasted several weeks and received many positive reviews from both participants and viewers. The highlight of Gamers8 was the Dota 2 tournament, where participants competed for $15 million — making it the largest tournament of 2023 not only in the discipline but in the entire industry.
For 2024, the authorities of Saudi Arabia have even more ambitious plans in the esports arena. They have already announced that the Gamers8 tournament series will be reformatted into the global championship Esports World Cup. Details about this event are still scarce, but organizers have promised participants the largest prize pool in esports history.
It is expected that top international clubs will compete for the championship at the Esports World Cup, competing against each other in various esports disciplines. The full list of games is currently unknown. The year before, Gamers8 hosted tournaments in Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Tekken, Fortnite, and other titles. It was also announced at the end of 2023 that the authorities of Saudi Arabia had reached an agreement with Riot Games to host their tournament for League of Legends featuring teams from franchise leagues. This means that the iconic MOBA could also become one of the disciplines in the Esports World Cup.
If the organizers of the Esports World Cup have announced a record prize pool, then we can expect it to exceed $45 million. In that case, the Esports World Cup will become one of the main esports events in 2024.
Top 5 esports tournaments by prize pools in 2024
|
Discipline
|
Name of the event / series
|
Prize pool or expected prize pool
|
|---|---|---|
        |
Esports World Cup
|
$45+ million
|
 |
Honor of Kings Invitational Championship 2024
|
$10+ million
|
|
|
Fortnite Champion Series 2024
|
$7.7+ million
|
|
|
The International 2024
|
$5 million
|
|
|
Intel Grand Slam
|
$4.25 million
|
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