Esports World Cup facts for kids
 |
|
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Esports |
| Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2024-25) Paris, France (2026) |
| Dates | July–August |
| Administrator(s) | Esports Foundation Tournaments supervised by ESL |
| Purse | US$75 million (2026) US$71.5 million (2025) US$62.5 million (2024) |
| Current champion | |
| Team Falcons | |
| Most recent tournament | |
| 2025 Esports World Cup | |
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is a huge yearly international esports tournament. It is organized by the Esports Foundation. This event is known as the biggest professional esports competition in the world. It has the largest total prize money and features many different video games.
The EWC offers over US$70 million in prize money. This includes rewards for individual tournaments, team qualifications, and special player awards. There is also a big Club Championship. The 2025 event included competitions in more than 25 video games. It also featured 28 club teams. Over 2,500 players and team staff from 100 countries took part in 2025.
The tournament usually takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July to August. However, the 2026 event was moved to Paris, France. The current champion is Team Falcons.
Contents
Discovering the Esports World Cup
How the EWC Started
The Esports World Cup grew from earlier gaming events. One of these was Gamers Without Borders (GWB). This was a charity esports tournament series. It helped organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the Saudi Esports Federation started Gamers8. This was a big gaming and esports festival. It lasted eight weeks and was held in Riyadh. Gamers Without Borders often served as a way for players to qualify for Gamers8. In 2023, Gamers8 hosted the final FIFAe World Cup for the FIFA video game series. It also introduced the Club Awards. This was a US$5 million competition for the best-performing esports clubs across many games.
The EWC is Born
In September 2023, the Esports World Cup was officially created. It was founded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The first Esports World Cup happened in 2024. It took over from Gamers8. The tournament became much bigger, including most major esports games.
The Club Awards were replaced by the Club Championship. This was a larger US$20 million competition. It combined the results of all participating teams, called "clubs." The best club overall was crowned the Club Champion. Team Falcons from Saudi Arabia won the first Club Championship. Esports clubs also received financial help through the Club Support Program.
In 2025, the EWC added chess to its lineup of games. Famous chess player Magnus Carlsen became the official chess ambassador for the EWC. The total prize pool for 2025 was over US$70 million. For 2026, the prize pool grew to US$75 million.
Esports World Cup Events
The 2024 Esports World Cup
The 2024 Esports World Cup was the first of its kind. It was held in Riyadh's Boulevard City. Many events took place in a huge venue with four special esports arenas. These arenas were named after sponsors like Qiddiya City and Amazon.
The 2024 EWC had the largest total prize pool in esports history at the time. Teams competed for US$62.5 million. This money covered main tournaments, qualifiers, MVP awards, and the Club Championship. The Club Championship alone gave out US$20 million to the top 16 teams.
Thirty top esports organizations also received money from the Club Support Program. This program helped them improve their operations. It also gave them money to enter new esports games. This helped teams like Team Vitality join games such as StarCraft II and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
A total of 22 tournaments were played across 21 games. New games included Mobile Legends: Bang Bang's Mid Season Cup and Women's Invitational. Also, Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason, League of Legends, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III were added. Team Falcons won the Club Championship in 2024.
The 2025 Esports World Cup
The 2025 Esports World Cup took place from July 7 to August 24, 2025. This was a slightly shorter event than previous years.
There were 25 tournaments that counted towards the Club Championship. Fortnite was not included that year. New games added were Crossfire and Valorant. Chess was also a new addition. Even though chess is a board game, its digital versions are considered esports by the EWC. Norwegian chess master Magnus Carlsen became the official chess ambassador. Later, Cristiano Ronaldo was announced as the EWC's Global Ambassador.
The Club Support Program was expanded to 40 organizations. It was renamed the Club Partner Program. A total of US$20 million was given directly to these clubs. The total prize pool for 2025 increased to US$71.5 million. Of this, US$27 million went to the Club Championship. Team Falcons successfully defended their Club Championship title.
The 2026 Esports World Cup
The 2026 Esports World Cup is happening from July 6 to August 23, 2026. It keeps the seven-week schedule from the previous year.
This year's EWC features 25 tournaments across 24 games. Rennsport and StarCraft II are not included this year. Instead, Fortnite has returned, and Trackmania is a new game. The overall prize pool has grown again to a record US$75 million. US$30 million of this is for the Club Championship.
On May 20, 2026, it was announced that the 2026 Esports World Cup would move to Paris, France. This change in location was made to ensure the best experience for everyone.
How the EWC Works
How Teams Qualify
Teams get into the Esports World Cup in different ways. This depends on the game they play. Many teams qualify through regional leagues and tournaments. For example, Overwatch 2 teams qualify by being top teams in their regional leagues. Other tournaments invite teams directly.
Since 2025, some champions from the previous year automatically qualify. For games like fighting games, EA Sports FC, and chess, there are Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQs). These are open to all players. The best players from these qualifiers earn a spot in the EWC tournaments.
The Asian Champions League (ACL) also serves as a special qualifier for teams from Asia. For example, the winner of the ACL for Counter-Strike 2 qualifies for the EWC.
The Club Championship
The Club Championship is a special competition within the Esports World Cup. It rewards the best overall esports clubs. Clubs earn points based on how well they perform in different games throughout the tournament. In 2024, the top 16 clubs shared the prize money.
To qualify for the Club Championship, a club needed to finish in the top 8 in at least two competitions. To win the championship title, a club also had to win at least one competition. Only players officially part of their club could earn points. Starting in 2025, the Club Championship prize pool expanded to the top 24 clubs.
Here is how points were given out in 2024 for each event:
| Pos. | Points | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1000 | 5 | 110 |
| 2 | 600 | 6 | 70 |
| 3 | 350 | 7 | 40 |
| 4 | 200 | 8 | 20 |
Club Partner Program
The Club Partner Program helps selected esports organizations. It used to be called the Club Support Program. This program gives financial help to chosen teams every year. This support helps them grow and create more chances for professional players.
In 2024, 30 organizations were part of the program. In 2025 and 2026, 40 organizations were chosen. They are selected based on their past achievements and plans for the future. These teams still need to qualify for each game's event. However, they receive financial rewards even if they don't qualify. They also get a one-time payment if they want to join new esports games at the EWC.
Games at the EWC
In 2024, 23 events were played across 22 video games. In 2025, there were 26 events and 25 games. For 2026, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the only game with separate events for men and women. Some events, like the PUBG Mobile World Cup, are part of the EWC. Others, like Strinova, do not count towards the Club Championship.
| Game/Series | G8 2022 | G8 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Legends |  |
|
|
|||||
| Call of Duty series | |
|
|
|
||||
| Call of Duty: Warzone | |
|
|
|
||||
| Chess | |
|
||||||
| Counter-Strike series | |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Crossfire | |
|
||||||
| Dota 2 | |
|
|
|
|
|||
| FIFA/EA Sports FC | |
|
|
|
||||
| Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves | |
|
|
|||||
| Fortnite | |
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Free Fire | |
|
|
|||||
| GeoGuessr | ✘ | |||||||
| Honor of Kings | |
|
|
|||||
| League of Legends | |
|
|
|
||||
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Men's | |
|
|
||||
| Women's | |
|
|
|||||
| Naraka: Bladepoint | |
|||||||
| Overwatch | |
|
|
|||||
| PUBG: Battlegrounds | |
|
|
|
||||
| PUBG Mobile | |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Rainbow Six Siege | |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Rennsport | |
|
|
|||||
| Rocket League | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| StarCraft II | |
|
|
|||||
| Street Fighter 6 | |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Strinova | |
|||||||
| Teamfight Tactics | |
|
|
|
||||
| Tekken series | |
|
|
|
||||
| Trackmania | |
|||||||
| Valorant | |
|
|
|||||
| Total events | 5 | 12 | 23 | 26 | 25 | >10 | >2 | |
| Total games | 5 | 12 | 22 | 25 | 24 | >10 | >2 | |
The EWC Trophy
The trophy for the Esports World Cup Club Championship was shown in Riyadh in 2024. It was designed and made by London Silversmiths Thomas Lyte. The trophy is 60cm tall and made from over 9kg of pure silver.
The final design of the trophy has many cool features. It includes triangles that look like game controller buttons. The bottom part of the trophy looks like a palm tree trunk. This is a well-known symbol of Saudi Arabia. A crown sits at the very top. The handles of the trophy are shaped like computer wires. The entire trophy was made in many parts, then polished and covered in 24-carat gold.
Each player in the Esports World Cup gets a special triangular key. When a team wins a game, this key is placed into the trophy for that specific game. These game trophies are called "Game Trophies." The key's frame is also added to the Totem. The Totem is a physical display in Riyadh that shows the history of the EWC. If a player or team is eliminated, they must give up their key. This key is then crushed and placed into the base of the Totem. However, each game's champion can choose three opponent keys to be placed in their Game Trophy instead.
See also
- Esports Nations Cup
- Olympic Esports Series
- Esports World Convention
- World Cyber Games
- International Esports Federation
- List of esports leagues and tournaments
- List of esports games
- Sport in Saudi Arabia
