Esports World Cup announces Record-Breaking prize pool of more than $60 MILLION
i

Esports World Cup announces Record-Breaking prize pool of more than $60 MILLION | Credits: EWC, Getty

Esports World Cup announces Record-Breaking prize pool of more than $60 MILLION

David Ben 15:16 - 16.04.2024

The inaugural edition of the Esports World Cup will feature the biggest life-changing prize money in the history of gaming tournaments.

The Esports World Cup Foundation has today announced the largest prize pool in esports history.

This year would feature a record-breaking amount of over a staggering $60 Million USD, for the inaugural Esports World Cup which is slated to hold this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This life-changing sum is the largest prize pool ever awarded at an esports tournament, shattering the previous record of $45 million USD set by Gamers8: The Land of Heroes in 2023.

Esports World Cup 2024 replaces Gamers8 with significant increase in prize pool

The Esports World Cup’s historic prize pool matches its grand scale.

Esports World Cup 2024
Esports World Cup 2024 | Credit: Esports World Cup

The gaming tournament will feature the world’s top Clubs and esports athletes in 20 competitions, with more to be announced,  throughout its hectic eight-week schedule.

The $60 million reward is also a significant step forward in the Esport World Cup Foundation’s effort to grow the global esports industry while providing more sustainable career options for athletes and multidisciplinary esports Clubs.

This reward will also help support the EWC as a platform that draws the best athletes, teams and organizations together for an international celebration of esports excellence and fandom.

“Setting the record for largest esports prize pool is a remarkable achievement, but what I’m most proud of is the positive message this sends to the wider esports and gaming community,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation, via a press release.

“More than $60 million is a testament to our investment in the future of global esports, a commitment to esports fans who deserve exceptional events and an extension of our mission to create meaningful competitive opportunities with life-changing prize pools for esports athletes everywhere.”

Esports World Cup 2024 Prize pool breakdown

The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award a total of $20 million USD to the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance.

Esports World Cup 2024
Esports World Cup 2024

The Club Championship is a new format that was introduced to focus on multi-game competitions, with each Club selecting the games they want to compete in.

At the conclusion of the event, the Club with the best performance across various game championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion.

The remaining prize pool will be divided into three additional distribution categories: Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers.

Each of the 20 Game Championships will have their own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million USD.

In addition, there will be a $50,000 USD MVP Award, which will be awarded to a standout participant in each competition.

More than $7 million USD will be awarded before the Game Championships start, as teams and athletes compete to qualify for available tournament spots across eligible qualifier events run by partnered Publishers and event organizers.

Confirmed Games Line Up for Esports World Cup 2024

There will be 19 games to compete for in the maiden edition of the EWC.

The groundbreaking lineup of participating games consists (in alphabetical order) of Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG Battleground, PUBG MOBILE, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege, ESL R1, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Street Fighter™ 6, Teamfight Tactics and TEKKEN 8.

Esports World Cup 2024 expected to feature other side attractions

In addition to its focus on competitive excellence, the EWC is set to once more  transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture.

Similar to the now-defunct Gamers8 event, there will be a massive immersive Festival featuring gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences and much more.

This event is also expected to feature electrifying performances from world’s biggest music stars across various continents.

Multi-award-wining Afrobeats megastar Wizkid became the first Nigerian and African artiste to headline a Gamer8 concert in 2022, before Afropop queen, Tiwa Savage, took centre stage the following year.

However, this year’s lineup remains unknown as at the time of this report.

The organizers confirmed that additional information about the EWC Festival will be released at a later date.

Tags: