Alright, let’s talk about EWC, because if you’re here, you’ve probably seen the acronym floating around and thought, What in the esports-sponsored, tech-infused wizardry is this? Well, let’s break it down.
What Is EWC?
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is basically the Olympics of competitive gaming, but with fewer national anthems and way more insane plays. It’s an annual event that gathers the best players, orgs, and teams across multiple game titles to duke it out for glory, prize money, and, let’s be honest, internet bragging rights. Think TI meets Worlds meets EVO, all under one big, esports-fueled roof.
Why Should You Care?
Aside from the massive prize pools (we’re talking millions), EWC is a game-changer for the esports scene. It brings together different gaming communities, unites fans under one mega-event, and raises the stakes for competitive gaming. If you love watching peak-level gameplay, this is the event to keep on your radar.
What Games Are Involved?
Good question. It depends on the year, but EWC typically features a mix of FPS, MOBAs, fighting games, and strategy titles. Expect the usual suspects like CS, Valorant, Dota 2, League, and maybe some surprise contenders.
In short? If you breathe esports, EWC is your Super Bowl, your Champions League, your WrestleMania—all rolled into one.
What happened in EWC in 2024?
If you thought esports was already big, EWC 2024 just took it to a whole new level. Hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this was an eight-week esports marathon (July 3 – August 25) with 23 tournaments across 22 game titles—basically, every major competitive title you can think of. And the prize pool? A jaw-dropping $62.5 million.
Team Falcons Ran the Show
Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons decided that hosting the event wasn’t enough—they had to dominate it too. With wins in Call of Duty: Warzone and Free Fire, plus consistent top finishes across multiple games, they walked away as Club Champions and pocketed $7 million. Not bad for a day’s (or eight weeks’) work.
The Other Teams
It wasn’t just Falcons flexing:
Team Liquid took second place in the Club Championship ($4 million) and secured big wins in StarCraft II while getting second place in Dota 2.
Team BDS snagged third place, with their biggest win coming in Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League.
Saudi Arabia’s Big Play in Esports
Beyond the matches, the real story here is Saudi Arabia’s push to be the epicenter of esports. With EWC 2024, they proved they can host and bankroll one of the biggest gaming events in history. And judging by how smoothly it ran, this might just be the new must-watch esports mega-event for years to come.
What’s Next? EWC 2025
After this monster’s debut, there’s no way EWC is a one-off. Expect an even bigger and crazier 2025 edition, more stacked teams, and if this year’s prize pool is any indication even more cash on the line.
We can expect an opening ceremony in the beginning of July, if not then a few days earlier, somewhere at the end of June. Judging by last year, I think that this year is going to be even better.
Besides the prize pool for ORGs, there have been few positive changes with some games when it comes to prizes for winning teams. That’s a clear indicator how well did last year go — it’s that or inflation is hitting hard. One thing is for sure, players/teams are going to compete even harder this year.
Some positive changes we could see this year
It feels like I’ve been talking about money a lot and that’s true. But keep in mind that for players that are competing, this isn’t some sort of hobby, it’s their livelihood. They’ve put thousands of hours into a single game in order to make them the best of the best. And this is their time to reap the rewards for all of that effort.
Now, people responsible for EWC are doing a damn fine job when it comes to representing esports and spreading the word about it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for improvement. It’s still a new thing and there’s always going to be some mistakes/overlaps but as long as they’re willing to work on them and improve on them, they’re on the right path to make this a huge thing that can change so many lives.
Adding Chess into the competition is a step in the right direction and they should keep adding games.
I strongly believe that any game can be made competitive as long as there is a playerbase for it. It doesn’t have to stop at the multiplayer games. There can be a few categories for single-player games where the players can compete for some sort of rewards.
For example, Elden Ring is a really good and popular game. Get 10 respective players to compete in some sort of format where the first player that finishes the game wins the prize. It would obviously need to be spread across a few days but hey, I’m just giving ideas — not my actual job to fully plan it (unless they hire me, then I’ll gladly do it).
It doesn’t have to be the Elden Ring, it can be any game that is willing to participate (if they meet the certain requirement).
While we’re at it, make Speedrunning a part of it. Create a list of 5 (or more) games and orgs have to compete for it. Best combined time of all games wins the event. Or to make it even more fair, make a speedrunning category and players can compete for each game separately and win on their own. That way they don’t have to rely on anybody else.
Minecraft is a very popular game and I’m sure that they would be more than happy to participate. Not just them, I’m sure there are plenty of other games that would be more than willing to make an appearance at EWC.
This is just the tip of an iceberg, the possibilities are endless, I could go on and on about it but you’re not here for that. Right?
Conclusion
Unfortunately there’s still a long wait till the EWC starts but on the bright side, you have me. You’re so welcome.
Until the next time.
Bye.
