Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) has announced an unprecedented total prize pool of more than $60 million for the inaugural Esports World Cup (“EWC”) this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This life-changing sum is the largest prize pool ever awarded at an esports tournament, shattering the previous record of $45 million set by Gamers8: The Land of Heroes in 2023.
The Esports World Cup’s historic prize pool matches its grand scale — the event will feature the world’s top Clubs and esports athletes in 20 competitions, with more to be announced, throughout its eight-week schedule. The sizable reward represents a significant step forward in the Esport World Cup Foundation’s effort to grow the global esports industry while providing more sustainable career options for athletes and multidisciplinary esports Clubs. It will also help support the EWC as a platform that draws the best athletes, teams and organizations together for an international celebration of esports excellence and fandom.
“Setting the record for largest esports prize pool is a remarkable achievement, but what I’m most proud of is the positive message this sends to the wider esports and gaming community,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “More than $60 million is a testament to our investment in the future of global esports, a commitment to esports fans who deserve exceptional events and an extension of our mission to create meaningful competitive opportunities with life-changing prize pools for esports athletes everywhere.”
The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award a total of $20 million to the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance. The Club Championship is a new format focusing on multi-game competitions, with each Club selecting the games they want to compete in. At the event’s conclusion, the Club with the best performance across various game championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion.
The remaining prize pool will be divided into three additional distribution categories: Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers. Each of the 20 Game Championships will have their own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million. In addition, a $50,000 MVP Award will be awarded to a standout participant in each competition. More than $7 million will be awarded before the Game Championships start, as teams and athletes compete to qualify for available tournament spots across eligible qualifier events run by partnered Publishers and event organizers.
The EWC’s groundbreaking lineup of 19 participating games consists (in alphabetical order) of 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 Battleground, PUBG MOBILE, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, ESL R1, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Street Fighter™ 6, Teamfight Tactics and TEKKEN 8.
In addition to its focus on competitive excellence, the EWC will transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture with a massive immersive Festival featuring gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences and much more. Additional information about the EWC Festival will be released at a later date.
To celebrate this historic announcement, the EWCF has activated in Las Vegas to highlight the tournament’s confirmed games, marquee athletes and the world’s best Clubs.
To learn more about the Esports World Cup, visit www.esportsworldcup.com, and follow upcoming Esports World Cup game announcements on X (formerly Twitter).
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