The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) today celebrated the start of the Esports World Cup (“EWC”), the world’s largest gaming festival, held at Boulevard City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A landmark event in esports history, the EWC Opening Ceremony, also unveiled the event’s official trophy.
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman, Saudi Esports Federation, said: “The Esports World Cup is the realization of a vision to bring esports players, fans, publishers, and wider audiences together for a spectacle that propels esports – the new global sport – on a trajectory even more empowering, exciting, and opportunistic for all. Already, this event has captured the interest and imagination of the global gaming and Esports community. And looking ahead, we cannot wait to watch the influence and impact of this year’s first edition unfold over the coming weeks. Without question, the Esports World Cup will deliver something special, the likes of which have never been witnessed, until now. It’s going to be an incredible summer.”
“The Esports World Cup is a major moment in esports history,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “It’s a historic culmination of two universal languages, gaming and sports, to unite the global community across games, leapfrog the esports industry and drive growth across the entire ecosystem. I’m immensely proud that we’ve created new possibilities for our sport and I am very excited to watch elite esports clubs and players compete across the world’s best games for life-changing prizes and crown the first Esports World Cup Club Champion.”
Faisal bin Homran, Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation, added: “There are 3.4 billion gamers in the world today and, with the Esports World Cup finally here, we share their anticipation, enthusiasm, and excitement for the sensational summer ahead of us. The coming eight weeks will transform the gaming and esports landscape like never before – and the entire world is invited to witness, embrace, and enjoy this historic, era-defining spectacle. With the greatest esports players and clubs on earth all vying for life-changing prizes across the world’s leading games, the Esports World Cup will absolutely fulfill its promise of being a global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom.”
Following its vibrant Opening Ceremony, with popular creators Tyler1 and Danny Aarons taking part in the festivities, the Esports World Cup will welcome more than 1,500 of the world’s best esports players — representing 60+ nationalities — as they compete across 22 competitions in 21 games over the next eight weeks, until August 25 at Boulevard Riyah City.
The groundbreaking games lineup consists of (in alphabetic order): Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Call of Duty: Warzone, 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 Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, ESL R1, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8 and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.
The Esports World Cup will award an unprecedented $60 million+ in prize money, the largest prize pool in esports history. $20 million of the total prize pool is reserved for the Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC that rewards the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance. 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.
In addition to the competition, the Esports World Cup will transform Riyadh into an epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture by hosting a jubilant festival throughout the event. Visiting attendees will experience numerous gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, concerts and international experiences as the world’s esports fan communities converge on Boulevard City to celebrate their shared love of gaming.
An outstanding collection of global companies have joined forces with the Esports World Cup Foundation to support the Esports World Cup. The EWCF counts (in alphabetic order): Adidas, Amazon, Aramco, Axe, Barn’s Coffee, Clear, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Honor, KitKat, LG, Mastercard, Mentos, PepsiCo, Qiddiya City, Sony, stc, and TikTok as key partners helping further the Foundation’s mission to invest in esports as the future of sport, with additional partners to be announced soon.
