Esports World Cup 2025 Announces Record-Breaking $70 Million Prize Pool

Riyadh is set to host the Esports World Cup (EWC) from July 7 to August 24, 2025, with organisers announcing a prize pool exceeding $70 million - making it the largest in esports history. The announcement reinforces Saudi Arabia’s growing ambitions in the global gaming space and highlights the commercial maturation of the esports ecosystem.

The prize money will be distributed across 25 tournaments covering 24 titles, including VALORANT, Crossfire, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, and even Chess. Notably, $27 million is allocated to the EWC Club Championship, with the winning club earning $7 million, incentivising multi-game participation and franchise-style team structures. Matches will be streamed globally on major platforms including Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok, with further regional broadcast deals expected to be announced closer to the event.

For context, The International 2021 for Dota 2 held the previous record with a $40 million prize pool. The EWC’s expanded structure and scope represent a leap in scale, positioning it alongside or above flagship events across traditional sports in terms of financial reward. Among the notable clubs expected to participate are Team Vitality, G2 Esports, and Falcons, all of which have secured places via the EWC Foundation’s Club Support Program.

“This prize pool isn’t just about size - it’s about building a sustainable, competitive ecosystem,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “We’re setting a new benchmark for player recognition, club development, and global audience engagement.”

The 2024 edition of the event, previously held under the Gamers8 brand, drew over 500 million online views and 2.6 million in-person attendees. The 2025 edition builds on that foundation, with a longer tournament window and expanded format designed to attract broader fan participation and commercial partnerships. Organisers are positioning the event not only as a top-tier competition, but as a month-long global festival of gaming culture.

The prize structure will also reward individual MVPs, qualifying stage performances, and cross-title excellence, reflecting the increasing sophistication of esports as a commercially viable, performance-based industry. With the EWC now backed by the Esports World Cup Foundation and linked to Saudi Arabia’s broader gaming investment strategy under Vision 2030, the event is viewed as both a commercial platform and a strategic soft power initiative.

The Esports World Cup 2025 represents a milestone in the continued evolution of competitive gaming. With record funding, elite teams, global distribution, and long-term institutional backing, it underscores esports' position as one of the fastest-growing sectors in sport, media, and entertainment.