Gaming
Esports
The road to Paris: the evolution of the Esports World Cup
From charity tournaments to the biggest event in competitive gaming, discover how the Esports World Cup evolved into a global spectacle – and why the 2026 edition marks its biggest chapter yet.
In just three editions, the Esports World Cup has grown into the biggest event in competitive gaming. With dozens of tournaments, the world's best players and clubs, and a prize pool exceeding $70 million, the EWC has redefined what a global esports competition can be. Here's how it got there – and why 2026 marks its biggest chapter yet.
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What is the Esports World Cup?
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is the world's biggest multi-title esports competition, bringing together the best players and clubs across dozens of games over seven weeks. Organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation, it features more than $70m in prize money, awarded through individual tournaments, qualifiers, MVP awards and the Club Championship.
Unlike most esports events, the EWC isn't centred on a single title. Instead, it spans genres from FPS and MOBA to fighting games, battle royales and chess, with the Club Championship rewarding the organisation that performs best across the entire competition.
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How does the Club Championship work?
Organisations accumulate points in each tournament based on their finishing position: 1,000 points for a win, 750 for second place, 500 for third, 300 for fourth, and so on down to eighth place.
To be eligible for the overall rankings, a club must finish in the top eight in at least two different tournaments. And to be in with a chance of winning the title, it must have won at least one tournament during the season. This double criterion ensures that the winner of the Club Championship is also a dominant team in a specific game – not just a consistent one.
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The origins of the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup didn't appear overnight. Its roots trace back to Gamers Without Borders, a series of charity esports tournaments launched by the Saudi Esports Federation to raise funds during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2022, that vision evolved into Gamers8, an eight-week gaming festival in Riyadh with a $13m prize pool, growing to $33.5m the following year. The 2023 edition also introduced the Club Awards, recognising organisations that excelled across multiple games. The idea of crowning the best club had arrived – laying the foundations for the Esports World Cup.
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A new era for esports
Saudi Arabia's ambitions for esports form part of Vision 2030, the country's long-term strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil. In September 2023, those ambitions took a major step forward with the official launch of the Esports World Cup and the Esports World Cup Foundation at the New Global Sport Conference. What began as a charity tournament and gaming festival had evolved into a global esports competition.
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EWC 2024: the inaugural edition
The first edition of the Esports World Cup was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25. 2024. There were 23 competitions across 22 different games, with a combined prize pool of $62.5 million – the largest in esports history at the time.
The event took place in a 59,900 square metre venue at Boulevard City in Riyadh, featuring four separate arenas: the SEF Arena, the 5V5 Arena, the BR Arena and the Riyadh Festival.
The prize pool was divided into four categories: the Club Championship, individual tournaments, qualifiers and MVP awards. The Club Championship distributed $20 million amongst the top 16 organisations, whilst each tournament MVP received $50,000.
Team Falcons won the 2024 Club Championship with 5,665 points, well ahead of Team Liquid, who finished second with 2,545 points. The margin was so wide that the Saudi organisation had already mathematically secured the title more than a week before the end of the event. To put the standard of the EWC into perspective, it is worth noting that T1, the reigning League of Legends world champions, finished third in this year’s LoL tournament.
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EWC 2025: a logical progression
The second edition of the Esports World Cup took place in Riyadh from July 8 to August 24, 2025, with 26 competitions across 25 disciplines and a total prize pool of $71.5m - surpassing the records set in 2024.
Expanding the line-up
The 2025 Esports World Cup added VALORANT, Crossfire, Chess, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves and Naraka: Bladepoint to its programme. Chess proved the most talked-about addition, with elite grandmasters such as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi joining leading esports organisations ahead of the tournament.
The former Club Support Programme also expanded into the Club Partner Programme, providing $20 million in direct funding to 40 organisations and reinforcing the EWC's long-term commitment to the competitive ecosystem.
Then, the world’s most-followed footballer became ambassador for the world’s biggest esports event when Cristiano Ronaldo was appointed global ambassador for the EWC in June, 2025
The Club Partner Programme: 40 clubs, $20m in direct funding
The former Club Support Programme was expanded to 40 organisations and renamed the Club Partner Programme, with $20m distributed directly to the clubs, regardless of their competitive results. It provided a financial safety net for organisations making a long-term commitment to the EWC ecosystem. This was no small matter in a sector that had been experiencing serious economic turbulence since 2023.
Team Falcons: a historic double
Team Falcons won the 2025 Club Championship with 4,900 points, successfully defending the title they had won the previous year. The organisation fielded rosters across 21 titles, the largest presence in the entire competition.
Team Liquid and Team Vitality both surpassed 4,000 points, despite fielding fewer teams than the Falcons. The title race remained tight right up until the final week, before the two challengers fell behind.
Team Falcons also won the very first ‘Jafonso Award’, a new honour recognising unseeded teams that manage to win it all, named in honour of João ‘jafonso ’ Vasconcelos, the only player to have won an EWC tournament via the last-chance qualifiers in 2024.
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The EWC trophy: a 9kg gem
The EWC trophy, dedicated to the Club Championship, was unveiled in Riyadh in 2024. It was designed and crafted by Thomas Lyte, a London-based silversmith who also creates some of the trophies for the English football leagues.
The trophy stands 60cm tall and is crafted from over 9kg of sterling silver. The final design features interlocking triangles inspired by the buttons on a games controller, whilst the base is cast from a 3D-printed model and resembles the trunk of a palm tree.
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The three editions of the Esports World Cup at a glance
Info
EWC 2024
EWC 2025
EWC 2026
Dates
July 3 – August 25, 2024
July 8 – August 24. 2025
July 6 – August 23, 2026
Location
Riyadh
Riyadh
Paris
Number of tournaments
23
26
25
Number of games
22
25
24
Prize pool total
$62.5m
$71.5m
$75m
Prize pool Club Championship
$20m
$27m
$30m
Participating clubs
30
40
40
Club Championship winner
Team Falcons
Team Falcons
TBC
New
First edition
Chess, VALORANT, Crossfire
Trackmania, Fortnite Reload
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Where will the next Esports World Cup take place in 2026?
Since its inception in 2024, the Esports World Cup has never ventured outside Riyadh. In 2026, however, Paris is set to become the first host city outside Saudi Arabia, due to instability in the region.
From July 6 to August 23, the EWC will be based at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. 2,000 players, 200 clubs, 100 countries, 25 tournaments across 24 games and a record prize pool of $75m. Each edition pushes the boundaries set by the previous one.
The prize pool for the Club Championship alone stands at $30m. New disciplines include Trackmania and the return of Fortnite in Reload mode, following a three-year agreement with Epic Games. StarCraft 2 and Rennsport, meanwhile, are leaving the programme.
This shift to Paris doesn't mark the end of the relationship between the EWC and Saudi Arabia. Riyadh remains the competition’s historic home and its main strategic partner. From the end of 2026, the Saudi capital will be back in action with the Esports Nations Cup, a nations-based competition scheduled for November 2-29 , which will introduce a new format based on national representation.
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