The Esports World Cup Foundation, the organiser of the Esports World Cup set to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2024, has announced a programme to support esports teams and organisations.
Called the EWC Club Program, the initiative’s goal is to ‘promote sustainability for multidisciplinary esports clubs’, allowing them to grow teams and establish new rosters.
The Foundation has created an application process that interested teams can fill out before the deadline on February 15th. The programme will be open to a total of 28 esports organisations worldwide, out of which 22 will receive direct invitations. This leaves just six slots for applicants.
The EWC Foundation noted that interested organisations should have a track record with a ‘long-term strategy in the esports industry’, as well as a demonstrated ability to build teams in one or more esports titles.
Notably, the Foundation stated that organisations accepted into the programme will be eligible for an annual ‘six-figure payout’. This financial incentive will surely be interesting to a wide range of teams, especially during the ‘esports winter’. The Foundation is yet to provide concrete criteria for this incentive, as no official requirements for teams that end up in the Program were set in the initial announcement.
Launched last year, the Esports World Cup Foundation is a Saudi Arabian government-founded non-profit organisation that is looking to create a tier-one multi-title esports event. Earlier this year, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was announced as one of the titles that will be a part of the EWC.
The application itself requires teams to fill out information regarding regions in which they have fans, follower counts across social media, games that the team competes in, ambitions, and possible new titles and similar.
The programme aims to provide the teams with the money to create multiple rosters which can, in turn, be used to compete in the Esports World Cup. Still, being a part of the programme does not guarantee a spot in the World Cup.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, commented on the news: “The EWC Club Program enables clubs to build a sustainable pipeline for growth of both their existing teams and additional programs. Our goal is to help the clubs we collaborate with increase their brand visibility, compete in a world-class competition, and elevate esports as a global sport. Enabling the success and growth of esports teams and players will be a key piece of building the future of esports.”
