Esports World Cup 2025 is back, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever! With a record-breaking $70 million prize pool, Riyadh will once again transform into the heart of esports. We’re talking 25 tournaments, thousands of players, and a single cross-title Club Championship to pull it all together.
We’ve got the lowdown on what you need to know about the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, from tournament dates throughout July and August, to the team lineups. This is one event you won’t want to miss!
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2)
EWC 2025 will host 16 CS2 teams from August 20-24th at The Boulevard in Riyadh. Fifteen contenders will receive direct invites based on the Valve Regional Standings, and one final ticket will go to the Asian Champions League (ACL) champion.
Last year, NAVI made magic happen, outplaying giants FaZe and MOUZ before reverse sweeping G2 Esports in an unforgettable Grand Final. This time, teams will look to do the same as they click heads for the lion’s share of $1.25 million.
Place your Counter-Strike 2 bets today!
Dota 2
Dota 2 returns from July 8-19th to close out the ESL Pro Tour (EPT), bringing 16 teams to battle for a huge $3 million prize pool. Gaimin Gladiators are back to defend the throne, but they’ll have to fend off regional powerhouses, the ACL champs, and the eight top dogs from the EPT Leaderboard.
It all kicks off with four groups of four in a round-robin brawl. The Top seed of the groups go right into the single-elimination Playoffs Bracket. The rest? They’ll have to scrap their way through a brutal Gauntlet Bracket for the remaining four spots.
Place your Dota 2 bets today!
League Of Legends
Think the Rift’s cooled off? Think again. EWC 2025 cranks up the heat from July 16-20th, with 12 League of Legends teams in the mix. Titleholders T1 are back, joined by regional beasts from the LCK, LPL, LEC, LTA, and LCP. The four MSI 2025 finalists go right to Knockouts, while the rest grind through the Group Stage.
From there, it’s win or walk as eight teams collide in a cutthroat single-elim bracket, capped off by a Bo5 Grand Final to decide it all. With $2 million on the line, the road to Worlds has never felt more ruthless!
Place your LoL bets today!
VALORANT
After a heart-stopping Masters Toronto, VALORANT fans can look to EWC 2025 for even more action! From July 8-13th, the top two teams from the EMEA, Americas, Pacific, and China regions after Stage 1 will join eight more from the EWC qualifiers to compete for a share of a $1.25 million prize pool.
Teams will be split into four groups and square off in a Swiss Bracket Group Stage. Teams that secure 2 wins before they amass 2 losses from each group will proceed to the Playoffs. As the first of four confirmed appearances at EWC and bragging rights at stake, expect no shortage of clutch plays from the game’s biggest names that opt in!
Place your VALORANT bets today!
Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege joins the EWC 2025 lineup once again from August 5-9th and so is that juicy $2 million prize pool. The tournament promises to be a slugfest, featuring 16 pro teams, including top-ranking contenders from the MENA, South America, North America, and Asia Pacific leagues.
Team BDS stole the show in 2024 with a dominant 3-0 sweep over w7m esports in the Grand Final, highlighted by mind-bending plays from MVP LikEfac. Think that was wild? Then buckle up because EWC promises even more crazy moments this summer!
Place your Rainbow Six bets today!
Honor Of Kings
It’s been a minute, but Honor of Kings is finally back, only this time under the World Cup banner. From July 10-26, 18 teams will fight tooth and nail for their cut of $3 million. Sixteen will begin in the Group Stage, while the KPL and ACL champs will skip the queue and head right into the Playoffs.
Group winners earn a direct pass to the Playoffs; however, the runners-up will get one last shot in the Last Chance round to lock in the final spots. What happens next will set the tone for the KPL Grand Finals later this year.
Place your Honor of Kings bets today!
Free Fire
Hungry for more? From July 16–20th, 16 of the world’s best Free Fire teams will collide at EWC 2025. While the full details are still under wraps, one thing’s certain: a massive $1 million prize pool is locked in—a life-changing amount for the victors.
Team Falcons racked up 188 points in the Knockouts in 2024. After placing 7th in Points Rush, they staged the perfect comeback, surging to the top of the rankings in the Grand Finals. But was it lightning in a bottle, or can they run it back again?
Mobile Legends Mid Season Cup 2025
The second edition of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup returns to EWC 2025 from July 30th to August 2nd. It’s do-or-die as 23 teams battle for a piece of a $3 million prize pool. It all begins with the Wildcard and Group Stages. From there, the top eight squads will converge in the Playoffs.
With the title in hand, defending champs Selangor Red Giants will face a gauntlet of challengers eager to rewrite the script. And with a single elimination Playoffs bracket, every match could be their last.
Mobile Legends Women’s Invitational
To support the burgeoning talent in women’s esports, MLBB: Women’s Invitational is back for its fourth edition, running from July 15-19th. While nothing’s set in stone yet, the tournament is confirmed to feature a $500,000 prize pool and is expected to follow a format similar to past years.
Notably, the title drew huge attention in 2024, peaking at over 256k viewers, making it the fourth most-watched women’s esports event of all time. What’s even more exciting is that EWC 2025 is poised to match (if not surpass) that milestone!
Place your Mobile Legends: Bang Bang bets today!
PUBG Mobile World Cup
Did someone say winner, winner, chicken dinner? The PUBG Mobile World Cup (PMWC) returns for a second time from July 25th to August 3rd, with 24 elite squads battling it out for a massive $3 million prize pool. Expect top-tier talent from PMGO Uzbekistan, PMSL, PMCL, and PEL all in the mix.
The action unfolds across three phases: Group Stage, Survival Stage, and the Grand Finals. The top eight from Groups go right to the Grand Finals, while the other sixteen fight for their lives in the Survival Stage. From here, eight more will advance, but only one will leave as the PMWC champion.
PUBG Battlegrounds
Make no mistake, EWC 2025 isn’t just another mid-season pit stop. From August 12–16th, 24 of the world’s top teams will try to shoot, smoke, and flash their way to victory, including eight direct invites via Global Power Rankings and 16 regional qualifiers.
The details are not finalized yet, but you can expect Match Point and SUPER formats for the Group Stage and Grand Finals. With a $2 million prize pool and PGS Points on the line, EWC is the perfect launchpad for teams chasing a spot at the PUBG Global Championship!
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6
Think the CDL Playoff was the last stop? Think again. After an explosive performance in Kitchener, the Black Ops 6 spotlight shifts to the EWC 2025 from July 24–27th. Just like last year, 16 teams, including reigning champs Atlanta FaZe, will duke it out in four Swiss Stage Groups, Best of 5 throughout.
From there, the top two squads from each group will go to the Bo5 single-elimination Playoffs, ending with a Bo7 Grand Final for the bulk of $1.8 million. Expect all your favorite CDL teams, the top three Challengers squads, and the DreamHack Dallas Open champs to be ready to make history.
Place your Call of Duty bets today!
Call Of Duty: Warzone
Warzone drops into EWC 2025 from August 6-9th, turning up the heat with a massive $1 million prize pool on the line. Team Falcons are back, joined by 20 of the best squads from North America, Europe, APAC, the Middle East, and Latin America, all vying for bragging rights.
This event starts with three groups in the Group Stage. The top seven teams punch their ticket to the Finals, while the rest are thrown into a Last Chance round where only seven more will make it out alive. All matches will be played on Resurgence using the Match Point format.
Overwatch Champions Series (OCS)
The OCS 2025 Midseason Championship joins the EWC 2025 lineup from July 31st to August 3rd, with Champions Clash winners Crazy Raccoon leading the charge. They’ll be joined by 15 Overwatch 2 teams—including frontrunners from the Stage 2 regional OWCS leagues—all vying for a share of the $1.05 million pool!
The tournament kicks off with a round-robin Group Stage comprising four groups, with the top two from each advancing to a single-elimination Playoff bracket. If Champions Clash in Hangzhou was any indication, expect nonstop incredible plays from start to finish.
Place your Overwatch 2 bets today!
StarCraft II
Competitive StarCraft II play heads to EWC 2025 from August 15-18th. While the lineup is still unconfirmed, 18 players are expected to attend, including the GSL Season 1 and 2 winners and the top four finishers from DreamHack Dallas. The remaining spots will likely be filled via Global Standings. This year, the prizepool is a hefty $700,000.
Last year, Team Liquid’s Clément “Clem” Desplanches delivered a masterclass, blazing through the Group Stage virtually untouched. The French Terran player skipped the Knockouts entirely, cruising right into the Final Four where he dismantled herO and Serral with back-to-back sweeps to take the title.
Place your StarCraft II bets today!
Rocket League
Fire up your engines! Rocket League is back from August 14-16th, slotted neatly between the Raleigh Major and the World Championship. What’s more, there are 16 RLCS teams hitting the field, playing across a GSL-style Group Stage and single-elimination Playoffs bracket.
Prepare for jaw-dropping aerials, clutch saves, and insane goals as some of the world’s greatest squads, including defending champs Team BDS and regional powerhouses Team Vitality, Karmine Corp, NRG, and Team Falcons, tear up the arena for a cut of the $1 million pool.
Place your Rocket League bets today!
FC25
EAFC25 was the first sports sim to join the EWC lineup—and it’s back for more from August 7 to 10th. Last year’s debut delivered mad hype, with Portugal’s João “jafonso” Vasconcelos taking home $300,000. Only time will tell if he can do it again, especially against a stacked roster of 32 players hitting the virtual pitch.
While final details are still pending, the tournament will likely follow the same format: best-of-1 matches, 9-minute halves, and a gauntlet of Group Stage, Resurrection Stage, and Playoffs. Expect roaring crowds and unforgettable moments as fans rally behind their favorites.
Place your E-soccer bets today!
Apex Legends
Apex Legends will be back under the spotlight at EWC 2025, bringing 40 of the biggest names in the ALGS. This includes defending champs Alliance, whose jaw-dropping run last year stole the show. Expect total carnage from July 10 to 13th, as teams butt heads for a slice of the $2 million prize pool.
The Bracket Stage will split into two groups of 20, each grinding through 10 action-packed matches. The top 10 will advance to the Finals, while the rest face off in another gauntlet to fill the remaining slots. When the dust settles, only one team will emerge victorious.
Street Fighter 6
From humble arcade roots in 1980 to becoming a pillar of the FGC, it seems nothing can slow Street Fighter down. The fight continues at EWC 2025 from August 20-23rd, where 48 of the world’s deadliest fighters will throw hands for a $1 million prize and a direct slot at Capcom Cup 12 in Tokyo.
Last year’s EWC champ Xiaohai looking to repeat, facing off against fighters from the SFL World Championship, Capcom Cup 11, EVO Japan, Combo Breaker, and other premier events. Get ready for some of the cleanest combos you’ve ever seen! Some of the qualifiers from previous events won’t be in attendance, but the competition is set to be another banger.
Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves
With the Saudi Prince backing this game, it’s no surprise that Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves is back, right out of the golden era of arcades. It’ll make its debut at EWC 2025 from July 10-12th. Sixteen of the world’s finest players will also be in the mix. That includes the number one and two killers from SNK’s official EVO Japan tournament, both out for blood—and a cut of the $1 million pot.
Things kick off with four groups of four in a double-elimination format, facing off in Ft2 matches. The top two players from each group will advance to the Finals, where it’s first to five to survive. Don’t blink or you might miss some incredible combos!
Tekken 8
Tekken 8 will be in full force at EWC 2025 from August 13-16th, bringing together 32 of the world’s most talented fighters, each punching and kicking for a shot at the $1 million prize pool. Two brutal GSL-style group phases will set the stage, followed by a final single-elim bracket where only the strongest survive.
Big names from EVO Japan like Knee, Mangja, Mulgold, and PINYA are already locked in. All that’s left is to see who will rise and fall. Whether you’re repping Mishima bloodlines or cheering for your regional hero, this is the Tekken event of the year—and it’s not to be missed!
Teamfight Tactics
Teamfight Tactics will share the spotlight in Riyadh from August 11-15th, hosting 16 of the world’s elite teams. While the lineup isn’t finalized just yet, we already know EWC 2024 champs Wolves Esports will be back to defend their title, joined by ACL qualifiers like Flash Wolves, T1, Virtus.pro, and many more.
EWC 2025 will give TFT players more global exposure than ever, with a $500,000 prize pool raising the stakes and fueling fierce competition. With last year’s event earning great reviews, you can expect the same (if not better) galaxy-brain comps and brawls for the crown!
Rennsports
The leading sim racers are back to take on Team Redline’s finest, including Kevin Siggy behind the wheel of his BMW M4 GT3. Rennsports roars into the EWC 2025 from July 8-11th, delivering nearly a full week of gritty racing on iconic tracks like Nürburgring and the Daytona International Speedway.
Not much is known right now, but nine teams are already signed to play for $500,000, with a format likely spanning Group, Second Chance, and Finals stages. If you’re an F1 or NASCAR fan, then make sure you bookmark these dates!
Crossfire
All eyes will shift to Crossfire from August 19-23th, as 16 teams compete for a share of a $2 million prize pool. Only the best are invited, including the dominant squads from the China, Vietnam, Brazil, and Western league standings, as well as the top dogs from the ACL and the Philippines Masters.
Last year’s finale was an absolute nail-biter, with Evolution Power narrowly claiming the crown. Now, teams will be back with a vengeance, each coming back with something to prove.
Chess
Chess will join the EWC main stage for the first time—and it’s making a bold entrance. Running from July 29th to August 1st, the event will bring 16 of the world’s most gifted players to Riyadh, including Grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
With a $1.5 million prize pool on the line, it’s one of the most lucrative and prestigious mind sports tournaments in history.
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