With the announcement of the Esports World Cup prize pool, esports teams and athletes are on the brink of, quite literally, a life-changing opportunity.
The prize pool for the EWC revealed on April 16, 2024, exceeds US$60 million, making it the largest in esports history.
This groundbreaking news sets the stage for the EWC event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer. It is shaping up to be one of the biggest events in esports history.
The Esports World Cup prize pool format explained
The Esports World Cup prize pool breaks the record previously held by Gamers8: The Land of Heroes in 2023, an event with a massive US$45 million prize pool.
The EWC tournaments in Riyadh feature a star-studded lineup of 19 games, including heavy hitters like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Mobile Legends Bang Bang, alongside titles representing a wide variety of genres.
Club championship
The Club Championship, a novel cross-game competitive format exclusive to the EWC, allocates US$20 million to the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance.
This format focuses on multi-game competitions, with each club selecting the games they wish to compete in.
At the event’s culmination, the club with the best performance across various game championships becomes the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion.
Game championships
The remaining prize pool is distributed among three additional categories — Game Championships, MVP awards, and qualifiers.
Each of the 20 Game Championships has its own prize pool, totaling US$33 million.
MVP awards
A standout participant in each competition is awarded a US$50,000 MVP award.
EWC Qualifiers
Before the Game Championships begins, more than US$7 million is up for grabs as teams and athletes compete for tournament spots across eligible qualifier events organized by partnered publishers and event organizers.
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