What is the Esports World Cup (EWC)? Format, games, prize pool explained

The Esports World Cup was only established in 2023, debuting the following year, but it’s already making an impact in the industry. Games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Warzone are some of the most popular esports games, and they’ve all featured at the event, held in Saudi Arabia.

In many sports, there is one huge event that’s known as the hallmark among its fans. The FIFA World Cup for Football/Soccer is one example of this, with the next one to be held in the United States next year. Fans look forward to this event every four years, and it also draws in casual viewers. It’s a communal event, and it’s likely something that Saudi Arabia is aiming for with the Esports World Cup, too.

With the next one, EWC 2025, coming up in July, we’ve created a guide to help you understand how EWC began, what games have appeared at the event so far, and how the prize pools are allocated to specific categories.

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is an annual event held in Saudi Arabia, which began in 2024. Announced by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in October 2023, the EWC is meant to be another initiative for the country to move away from its dependence on oil and gas. But you may also be wondering just how does the Esports World Cup work? Below is an Esports World Cup explained section.

The first EWC, which ran from July 3 to August 25, 2024, consisted of 22 titles across 23 events, with a combined prize pool of $62.5 million. A total of 25 teams took part, including Team Vitality, G2 Esports, Team Liquid, and many more. Eventually, as the event concluded, teams were grouped into three: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Team Falcons came in first place, winning a huge $7 million taken from the prize pool, thanks to their efforts in games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, and more.

The EWC works by splitting up the games into individual tournaments, which are also slotted into prize pools. This way, it makes it easier for viewers to keep track of the games they want to follow at EWC, and it’s simpler for players to focus on one game instead of several. However, players can compete in other tournaments in order to gain points on the leaderboard, which is how the organisers keep track of who’s winning throughout the EWC. Eventually, players are eliminated until the finals are held. Gold, Silver, and Bronze display the final results.

Ultimately, Saudi Arabia considered the total viewership at EWC 2024 a success, with four games bringing in more than 500,000 viewers at their peak. Many were able to keep track of their favorite teams and games via the EWC YouTube and Twitch channels.

The next EWC has already been announced, with the full Esports World Cup schedule available to view. Taking place from July 7 to August 4 later this year, 25 games will be at the event, with 200 clubs competing to win part of the massive $70 million prize pool.

With this being the Esports World Cup, there’s no doubt that the most popular esports games need to be at the event, as well as the prolific players and teams. Here’s a table with the games that were at EWC 2024, as well as those appearing at EWC 2025 later this year:

With EWC 2025 starting from July 7 to August 4, you may be wondering what games are in the Esports World Cup. With this in mind, below is a table showing just how many games are in this year’s EWC.

Looking at the table, it’s no surprise to see games like Dota 2, Fortnite, League of Legends, and plenty more are at EWC. Riot Games’ VALORANT, one of the biggest esports games in 2025, is debuting at EWC 2025. However, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, released in April this year, is hardly a surprise to see that it will be at EWC later this year. Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is a guest character in the game, and in the past, he has posted about the event, congratulating Team Falcons in an Instagram post.

Ultimately, EWC 2025 looks to be another event to watch closely to see if there could be any surprises in store.

After the success of the Esports World Cup in 2024, the prize pool has grown even more for this year’s event, from $62.5 million to $70 million. This makes the EWC arguably the most enticing event for players and viewers alike, as there’s plenty of money to go round for the 25 games. However, EWC 2025 splits the prize pool into the following categories:

💰Club Championship: This will award $27 million of the prize pool to the top 16 Clubs based on their overall performance. There will also be $7 million reserved for the winner of EWC 2025.

💰Game Championship: $38 million will be reserved for this category, with titles like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and others sharing this part of the prize pool. 

💰MVP Awards: EWC 2025 will also award $450,000 to those who have been recognized throughout the tournament as clear standouts in all categories.

💰Road to EWC Qualifiers: This category will reserve more than $5 million to emerging esports players at EWC 2025. Those who win will be able to claim part of this prize pool, which could help build a path for those wanting to reach the Club Championships at a future event.

It’s highly likely that the Esports World Cup is here to stay. Saudi Arabia has invested millions into the tournament, and with fans like Cristiano Ronaldo posting about the event, there’s already a strong brand recognition that could bring in some influential sponsorships for EWC 2025 and beyond.

There’s also the massive prize pool that’s been smartly distributed to several categories. This way, upcoming talent can be motivated to take some of the $5 million assigned in the Road to EWC Qualifiers category, which could entice viewers to keep an eye on who could be making their mark, and potentially moving to another category at a future EWC.

While still a relatively new addition to the esports calendar, the Esports World Cup’s financial backing and tournament format look set to excite fans and non-fans this summer.