The Esports World Cup will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7th to August 24th, boasting the largest prize pool in esports history – at least $70 million.
Today, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced its record-breaking prize pool for the upcoming tournament. Now in its second year, the Esports World Cup has already become the world’s largest pro-gaming event, and this new prize pool marks a $10 million increase from last summer’s inaugural event.
The Esports World Cup 2025 will bring together more than 2,000 elite players and 200 top clubs. This year, chess has been added to the roster, along with other new titles, Crossfire, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Valorant, making a total of 24 games to be played across 25 tournaments.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation, said that the purpose was “to elevate the industry, by giving players, clubs, publishers and all other stakeholders the stability needed to invest for future success.”
Long-term vision for esports
Reichert continued: “While more than $70 million is an incredible, life-changing sum, it’s always aligned with a long-term vision rather than short-term impact. It’s not just to have more money at stake, but to create opportunities for everyone at every level of the ecosystem, and strengthen the industry for generations to come."
Along with the increased prize pool, EWCF is expanding its support for the esports industry through a number of partnerships with other leagues and competitions. Recent agreements with games giants, including Riot Games, Activision and Capcom, will see the EWCF support external competitions. The EWCF recently announced that 40 top clubs joined its EWCF Club Partner Program.
The EWC Club Championship, the cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award $27 million of the $70 million-plus total to the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance, with $7 million allotted for the 2025 winner.
After the Club Championship's $27 million allocation, the remainder of the total prize pool will be divided into three distribution categories: Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers on the Road to EWC. Each of the Game Championships will have its prize pool with a combined total exceeding $38 million. In addition, a $450,000 MVP Award pool will be allocated to standout participants across all competitions. More than $5 million will be awarded to the Road to EWC qualifiers, where teams and players compete for the remaining tournament spots through eligible events hosted by partnered publishers and organizers.
Additionally, the New Global Sport Conference, an event uniting global leaders in video games, sports, entertainment, and technology, will return to Riyadh on August 23-24. Coming at the end of the Esports World Cup, it will host 1,500 industry leaders in Riyadh.
The MENA region remains the fastest-growing market in video games. As part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plans, Saudi Arabia aims to establish itself as a global games hub by 2030, including esports, games development and investment.
