📌 What is the Esports World Cup?

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is an annual multi-title esports tournament series managed by the non-profit Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The event originally evolved from the Gamers8 festival held in Riyadh. In 2024, the format transformed into a full-fledged Esports World Cup.

Creation History and Early Investors

  • Origin: Initially launched as Gamers8, a Saudi Esports Federation initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Rebranding: In October 2023, the brand was restructured into the Esports World Cup.
  • Investment: Its primary investor is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a key vehicle in the country’s gaming and entertainment initiatives.

First Tournaments and Prize Pools

EWC 2024 (Inaugural Edition)

  • Held from July 3 to August 25, 2024 in Riyadh.
  • Featured 23 tournaments across 22 disciplines.
  • The total prize pool was $62.5 million — the largest in esports history at the time.
  • Club Championship had $20 million in prizes; Game Championships about $30 million; qualifiers — $7.6 million; MVP awards — $1.1 million.
  • The Club Championship was won by Team Falcons, with Team Liquid and Team BDS placing second and third, respectively.

Expansion in 2025

EWC 2025

  • Scheduled from July 8 to August 24, 2025, again in Riyadh.
  • Will include 26 events across 25 game titles — adding chess, Valorant, Fatal Fury, Crossfire, Naraka: Bladepoint, among others.
  • The total prize pool is increasing to $70 million.
    • Club Championship: $27 million
    • Game Championships: $38 million
    • Qualifiers: over $5 million
    • MVP Awards: $450,000
  • Expected participation: 200 clubs, 2,000 players from over 100 countries.

Prize Money — Records and Structure

  • 2024: $62.5 million — record at the time.
  • 2025: $70 million — new record.
  • Breakdown:
    • Club Championship: $27 million (1st place: $7M, 2nd: $4M, etc.)
    • Game Championships: approx. $38 million
    • Qualifiers + MVP awards: ~$5.45 million

Top Teams and Participants

The most successful team in 2024 was Team Falcons.
Other strong contenders: Team Liquid, Team BDS.
In 2025, big names like T1, Vitality, G2, NAVI, FaZe, Astralis are involved (e.g., 16 top CS2 teams will compete).
Chess stars like Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid) and Hikaru Nakamura (Team Falcons) have joined through their respective clubs.

Latvian Participation

As of now, no Latvian teams are officially listed as participants in either the 2024 or 2025 editions of the Esports World Cup.

What to Expect in 2025

  • Chess joins the lineup: With a $1.5 million prize pool, 10-minute rapid formats, and players like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.
  • New Games Introduced: Valorant, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, Crossfire, Naraka, and more.
  • Global Ambassador: Football star Cristiano Ronaldo appointed as the EWC 2025 ambassador.
  • Club Points System: Teams earn points across all tournaments based on placements and wins, which affect the Club Championship standings.
  • Fan Experiences: On-site festival zones, entertainment activities, content hubs, and fan meetups are planned.

Special:

DualSense Jewel Green will be selling exclusively on this event. More information about this you can read here.

Esports World Cup 2025 Games Calendar:

🗓️ Week 1 (July 8–13)

  • Valorant (July 8–13)
  • Apex Legends (July 10–13)
  • Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (July 10–12)
  • Rennsport (Sim Racing, July 8–11)
  • Dota 2 (July 8–13)

Week 2 (July 15–20)

  • Dota 2 continues (July 17–19)
  • League of Legends (July 16–20)
  • Free Fire (July 16–20)
  • Honor of Kings (July 15–20)
  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Women’s Invitational (July 15–19)

Week 3 (July 22–27)

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (July 24–27)
  • PUBG Mobile (July 25–27)
  • Honor of Kings continues (July 23–26)
  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Mid‑Season Cup (MSC) (July 23–27)
  • StarCraft II (July 22–25)

Week 4 (July 29–August 3)

  • Overwatch 2 – Mid‑Season Championship (July 31–August 3)
  • PUBG Mobile continued (July 29–August 3)
  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – MSC continues (July 30–August 2)
  • Chess (online) (July 29–August 1) – $1.5 M pool

Week 5 (August 7–10)

  • EA Sports FC 25 (August 7–10)
  • Call of Duty: Warzone (August 6–9)
  • Rainbow Six Siege X (August 7–9)

Week 6 (August 11–17)

  • Rocket League (August 14–17)
  • PUBG: Battlegrounds (August 12–16)
  • Teamfight Tactics (August 14–15)
  • Tekken 8 (August 13–16)

Week 7 (August 19–24)

  • Counter-Strike 2 (August 21–24)
  • Street Fighter 6 (August 20–23)
  • Crossfire: Mercenary Forces (August 19–23)

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