Esports World Cup 2025 begins in Riyadh with record $70m prize pool

The 2025 Esports World Cup has officially kicked off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hosted by the Esports World Cup Foundation. 

Running until August 24th, the event brings together over 2,000 players competing in 25 tournaments across 24 major game titles for a record-breaking prize pool exceeding $70 million. 

This marks a $10m increase from 2024’s prize pool, with $27m to be spread across the top 16 clubs as this year’s winner will earn $7m. 

The $70m prize pool also includes over $38m allocated to individual Game Championships, $5m for global qualifier rewards, and $450,000 in MVP bonuses.

Over the next seven weeks, the EWC Club Championship will celebrate 25 tournament winners across 24 games including mobile hits like Free Fire, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG Mobile. 

Creating opportunities 

To reach global audiences, the 2025 Esports World Cup will be broadcast in 35 languages across 140 countries and is set to produce over 7,000 hours of live content. 

“We’re immensely proud to welcome the world back to Riyadh for the Esports World Cup - an event that showcases the scale, ambition, and future of esports and gaming," said Saudi Esports Federation chairman HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan.

“Hosting the EWC reflects our commitment to building a sustainable, world-class esports ecosystem. It demonstrates our belief in gaming as a force to connect, inspire, and create opportunity, while advancing our broader goals under Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. 

“Esports is no longer niche - it’s a global sport and a cultural force. And the Esports World Cup is its most unifying stage. We’re honoured to lead this transformation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Learn more about the games industry in the MENA region at Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba on November 8th to 9th.