The Esports World Cup is a multi-discipline spectacle involving some of the world's top games and players. Organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first edition was held from June to August 2024 and witnessed 22 competitions across 21 games.
Confirmed to be a yearly event, the EWC's second edition is returning in the summer of 2025. There will be more games as the series looks to go bigger and better than the inaugural iteration, meaning a more diverse pool of titles for fans to sink their teeth into. The first game was also announced in November 2024, with the then-recently-released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 representing the legendary franchise.
Since then, the official website has disclosed each new game using countdown clocks at regular intervals, with the entire line-up of games set to be completed over the next few weeks. An interesting addition in 2025 has been Chess, which has seen an online viewership boom since the pandemic days, and it will be intriguing to see the response this ancient sport gets from fans in Riyadh and those watching from home.
Esports World Cup Foundation's CEO Ralf Reichert was quoted as saying earlier this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
"In the planning process, we debated all sorts of formats for the Esports World Cup. But while we took inspiration from top international sporting events, we felt that the EWC was best as an annual event, as the world of video games and the digital age overall work on an accelerated timeline compared to others. We want to build the best platform to crown the best esports Clubs each calendar year, creating a prestigious moment for players and fans to aspire to attend. No format is set in stone, but we're happy with the way the EWC is currently unfolding."
The 2024 event witnessed over 1,500 top esports players from more than 100 countries competing across 21 games. Saudi Arabia's Team Falcons won the Club Championship and earned $7 million, sending a boisterous home crowd extremely happy.
What else is known about the Esports World Cup 2025?
The second edition has tentatively been given the same timeframe as the 2024 esports series, with competitions scheduled to take place between July and August in 2025. Although the exact dates have not been revealed, it is expected that it will follow a similar schedule to the inaugural iteration.
Details about the prize pool, which was the highest ever for an esports series or event at the 2024 edition, have also not been disclosed, although the amount should witness a hike. The robust trophy system that rewarded the best club in the world (Club Championship) based on cumulative points from each team's overall performance across the two months of action should also be retained.
Speaking of the Club Championship, the list of participants for the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) Club Partner Program expanded to 40 organizations in 2025, with sides selected set to receive six-figure funding in dollars to strengthen their brand and activate their fan base ahead of the EWC 2025.
Esports World Cup Foundation 2025 Participants:
The Esports World Cup 2024 followed a standard and compact format that ensured most tournaments ended within a short span. While this was good for retaining audience interest, it came at the cost of a lot of viewership potential, so it remains to be seen if the organizers bring any change in this regard.
Featured games at the Esports World Cup 2025
What about the prize money break up?
As mentioned earlier, the EWC 2024 carried a record purse of $60 million, including $20 million for the Club Championship. The remaining prize pool was divided into three additional distribution categories: Game Championships, Player Bounties, and Qualifiers.
Each of the 22 Game Championships had their own prize pools that combined to exceed $33 million. Moreover, a $50,000 MVP player bounty was awarded to a standout participant in each competition. Lastly, over $7 million was handed before the Game Championships began, as teams and players competed to qualify for available tournament spots across eligible qualifier events run by partnered publishers and event organizers.
The same formula should be followed for the 2025 spectacle, with many fans and experts expecting the cumulative figure to be closer to $100 million. With the number of games increasing as well, there is no reason this can't be done, although things will only be clear once the official confirmation comes from the Esports World Cup Foundation.
How teams can qualify for the Esports World Cup 2025
Last year, there were multiple qualification tournaments across disciplines to choose the representatives for each game. Even major regional events like the FFWS Southeast Asia and the MPL Indonesia served as qualifiers for this series, with many of these competitions taking breaks to accommodate the EWC 2024.
Many games like League of Legends and Rocket League saw the top teams in the circuit receive invites. A few other titles, like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, had participants chosen from the live global rankings.
The 2025 edition should follow a similar qualification route, with changes here and there to ensure things remain smooth and don't affect the rest of the esports calendar. It will nevertheless be intriguing to see how each game's participants are decided as they add to the excitement and a sense of jeopardy to each match.
What happened at the 2024 iteration?
This year's EWC also made it into the five most-watched series of 2024, becoming just the fourth series to cross the 120M Hours Watched mark. The compact and quick nature of each tournament helped keep audiences engaged throughout each competition, although viewers were most active during the first three weeks, after which the numbers dropped significantly.
With a bigger prize pool and more tournaments promised, the 2025 edition promises to break even more barriers for esports. Readers interested in keeping track of developments, including discipline reveals, can follow Esports Charts on social media and check our news section regularly.
Detailed Esports data at your fingertips.
Subscribe to & start exploring!
