About the Road to EWC Program

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) recently unveiled a new global initiative: the Road to EWC. This program is designed to highlight the different qualification paths that players and their respective clubs can take to earn a spot in the prestigious Esports World Cup in 2025. This journey will take place through more than 200 qualifying tournaments, ranging from local, grassroots competitions to high-profile international circuits, allowing players of all skill levels to vie for a place in the competition.

Esports World Cup 2025 Outline

The Esports World Cup is scheduled for 2025, from July 7th to August 24th. It will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event is organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation, a nonprofit organisation funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Anticipated Scale and Prizes

• The prize pool for 2025 has broken previous records, being set at over $70 million, the most significant amount to date in esports history.
• The 2025 tournament will feature 25 tournaments across a diverse range of 24 different games.
• Four new games will make their debut at the 2025 event, including Chess, Crossfire, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, and VALORANT.
• Competing in this event will be more than 2,000 top esports players and 200 elite clubs.

Unique Tournament Structure

The Esports World Cup uses a unique Club system whereby organisations compete across multiple game titles. The competition collates individual game results from participating organisations and crowns one as the “Club Champion” through the Club Championship competition. The 2024 Club Champion was Team Falcons.

Mission of the EWCF with Road to EWC

The Chief Product Officer of the EWCF, Faisal Bin Homran, stated that the Road to EWC program aims to create life-changing opportunities for players at every level. The objective is also to attract the finest global talent to Riyadh. The EWCF regards this qualification system as a significant part of its broader pledge to promote the sustainable growth of esports, back the professional gaming ecosystem, and broaden the sport’s worldwide reach.

Public Perception

The Esports World Cup is a prominent event in the competitive gaming calendar. However, it has faced scrutiny in some quarters. Some critics see it as an attempt by Saudi Arabia to sportswash, or distract from, its human rights record.