The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a record-breaking $70 million-plus prize pool for the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC).

Billed as the world’s largest esports event, it is set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 through August 24. With the highest stakes in esports history, the prize pool elevates EWC as one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and reinforces the EWCF’s long-term commitment to the sustainable growth of the esports industry.

The total prize pool is a $10 million increase from last summer’s inaugural event, marking a significant step in the Esports World Cup Foundation’s mission to create life-changing opportunities and provide sustainable career paths for competitive players and multidisciplinary esports clubs. The location of the cup in Riyadh shows the blossoming market in the Middle East, but it also remains a controversial location for some. I attended the event last year including its closing.

“The record-breaking $70+ million prize pool, along with our commitment to the Club Partner Program and our multi-year publisher agreements, is a privilege to announce and validation of our purpose to elevate the industry, by giving players, clubs, publishers and all other stakeholders the stability needed to invest for future success,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation, in a statement. “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.”

With 25 tournaments in 24 games announced to date, including four new games—Chess, Crossfire, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Valorant—EWC 2025 will bring together more than 2,000 elite esports players and 200 top Clubs for the largest multi-game competition in history, with a life-changing prize pool rewarding more players and Clubs on the world’s biggest stage. Tickets for EWC 2025 are now available to purchase at esportsworldcup.com.

The EWC Club Championship, the innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award $27 million of the $70+ million 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.

The 2024 event attracted over 500 million online viewers and 2.6 million visitors to Riyadh’s Boulevard City. At the inaugural EWC in 2024, Team Falcons captured the world’s attention, running up the leaderboard with 10 top-three finishes, including three first-place placements, to earn 5,665 points and ultimately win the $7 million Club Championship title. North American Team Liquid finished in second place with 2,545 points and French Team BDS placed third with 2,000 points.

“Winning the Club Championship crown and $7 million at the inaugural Esports World Cup was a defining moment for Team Falcons,” said Mosaad Al-Dossary, CEO of Team Falcons, in a statement. “The opportunity to compete in front of our home fans, where they made the arenas shake with every great play, motivated us like never before, and it was an honor to secure the victory for them. We’ve used the momentum and winnings from last year to build on our success and we look forward to continuing that legacy this summer.”

“Competing at the inaugural EWC contributed to one of the most successful competitive years in our 24-year history, securing a strong second-place finish in the EWC 2024 Club Championship,” said Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Team Liquid, in a statement. “With our winnings, we expanded into new games like chess, strengthened our international presence in Southeast Asia, and supported philanthropic initiatives. The experience, momentum, and rosters we’ve built over the past year put us in the perfect position to claim the Championship crown at EWC 2025. We believe this to be our year.”

The full lineup of games for the EWC 2025 announced to date include, in alphabetical order: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 25, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Rennsport, Rocket League, Starcraft ||, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT.  Along with the increased prize pool, EWCF is expanding its support for the entire esports industry through a number of partnerships with other leagues and competitions.

Recent agreements with the likes of Riot Games, Activision and Capcom will see the EWCF support external competitions with resources that further help the stability of esports circuits and the industry as a whole, while increasing the pathways for players to reach the Esports World Cup each year.

The EWCF recently announced that 40 top Clubs joined its industry-leading EWCF Club Partner Program that will provide financial support for Clubs to expand their brand and global fanbase: 100 Thieves, All Gamers, Bilibili Gaming, Cloud9, Edward Gaming, EVOS, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, FURIA, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G, Gentle Mates, HEROIC, JD Gaming, Karmine Corp., Movistar KOI, LEVIATAN, LOUD, MOUZ, NAVI, NIP.eStar, ONIC, POWR, REJECT, S8UL, Sentinels, T1, Team BDS, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team RRQ, Team Secret, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro, Weibo Gaming, Wolves Esports, ZETA DIVISION.

The Esports World Cup 2025 will once again unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global competition that will crown the next Esports World Cup Champion. The tournament’s unique cross-game format will reward Clubs and players competing for a life-changing prize pool across a mix of platforms and genres, bringing together esports’ best teams, players and games under one banner in the largest-ever celebration of esports.

Additionally, the New Global Sport Conference, a premier event uniting global leaders in esports, gaming, sports, entertainment, and technology to shape the future of global sports, will return to Riyadh on August 23-24, 2025.

The conference that bridges East and West to drive transformative global initiatives will see 1,500 industry leaders and decision-makers gather to collaborate on the growth and future of these dynamic industries. For more information, visit www.https://newglobalsportconference.com/.