The Esports World Cup is set to be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer. The organizers behind the event are aiming for the event to be the biggest ever, with top teams across dozens of of titles competing for the largest prize pool ever posted at an esports event.
The event has sparked a thorough conversation around the growing presence of Saudi Arabia, a country with a troubling record of human rights abuse, in gaming and esports. In particular, Saudi Arabia’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, and free speech has drawn much criticism from fans of several of the titles set to be played in Riyadh.
Given the challenges many esports organization are currently facing financially though, it’s hard for any organization to say no to competing at such a large event with a massive prize pool.
Here’s the full details on the Esports World Cup.
Esports World Cup format
The Esports World Cup will consist of 20 “distinct” tournaments across its competitive titles over an eight week period. Each tournament will feature its own format and rules, but all the tournaments make up the larger competition known as the Club Championship. The club, or organization, with the best overall performance across multiple titles will be crowned the Club Champion.
More details on the formatting of specific game tournaments will be posted here soon. The ESWC has said that each game tournament will encompass qualification, group stages, playoffs, and grand finals, but will tailor formats to align with “community expectations” and “preserve the unique essence of each game.”
What competitive titles will be at Esports World Cup ?
19 participating titles have been announced so far for the Esports World Cup.
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- EA Sports FC 24
- Fortnite
- Free Fire
- Honor of Kings
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Overwatch 2
- PUBG Battlegrounds
- PUBG MOBILE
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- RENNSPORT
- Rocket League
- StarCraft II
- Street Fighter 6
- Teamfight Tactics
- TEKKEN 8
More titles are expected to be announced soon.
Esports World Cup prize pool distribution
The Esports World Cup has announced an prize pool of over $60 million, up from the $45 million pool at Gamers8 event hosted by the ESWC organizers in 2023.
Here’s how the prize pool will be distributed:
- Over $33 million in prizes spread across the 20 individual game tournaments.
- $20 million between the top 16 teams competing for the Club Championship.
- $1.1 million in MVP awards.
- $7.6 million in qualifying rewards.
Half the total prize pool will be distributed to the teams competing in individual tournaments. $20 million will be distributed to the top 16 teams competing for the Club Championship. A $50,000 MVP award will be awarded to “a standout participant” in each tournament. Finally, $7.6 million will be awarded to teams and players for successfully qualifying for tournaments at the ESWC.
The exact distribution of the individual tournaments prize pools and the Club Championship prize pool is currently unknown.
