Hot on the heels of an action-packed fortnight since its sensational arrival in the Saudi capital, Week 3 of the Esports World Cup (EWC) lived up to the expectations of esports enthusiasts far and wide as epic showdowns unfolded and new EWC champions were crowned.
Live from Boulevard Riyadh City, a trio of competitions featuring many of the world’s best teams and athletes received critical acclaim from live attendees and global audiences in a week which culminated with two new clubs showcasing their EWC Club Championship credentials.
Canada’s Gaimin Gladiators celebrated a deserved triumph in the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters – whitewashing Team Liquid of the Netherlands 3-0 in Sunday’s Grand Final to win the $1.5 million first prize and enter the race for the EWC Club Championship.
A capacity crowd inside the state-of-the-art SEF Arena witnessed more jubilant scenes hours later as Natus Vincere (NAVI) etched their name in the esports history books by winning the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) competition. In the first-ever all-European EWC Grand Final, the Ukrainian club came from behind to beat Germany’s G2 Esports 2-1 – taking home the title and $400,000 first prize.
The PUBG Mobile World Cup 2024 also made its highly anticipated EWC debut in Week 3. The $3 million tournament kicked off this past Friday (July 19) – welcoming 24 clubs for three days of group stage action – and continues this coming week with the survival stage and main tournament locked in throughout Week 4.
Elsewhere over the last seven days, ‘the pinnacle of gaming and esports’ also grabbed even more headlines across the region and wider world as two football icons visited Boulevard Riyadh City to see the action for themselves. Al Hilal and Brazil winger Neymar attended EWC over the weekend as did Liverpool and Portugal forward, Diogo Jota.
The Esports World Cup is the pinnacle of professional esports – running from July 3 – August 25 with 22 tournaments across 21 titles throughout its eight-week duration.
Week 4 kicks off on Tuesday with another incredible six days in store. The PUBG Mobile World Cup 2024 returns and two new tournaments make their highly anticipated EWC debuts – the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML:BB) Women’s Invitational 2024 and Overwatch 2.
For more information on scheduling and results, please visit the Esports World Cup website.
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