The third edition of the Esports World Cup was launched on Monday July 6 in Paris. Initially planned for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia like the first two, it was relocated to France because of the war in the Middle East. During its opening ceremony, on July 8, we were able to see Théodora, Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake and Magnus Carlsen, chess icon who will participate in the EWC to put his title back into play. The chess tournament takes place in quick play on the Chess.com platform.
The EWC also signed a well-known ambassador, Cristiano Ronaldo. “It unites generations, from lifelong soccer fans to today’s young competitors,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “His quest for excellence reflects the spirit of the Esports World Cup: the biggest stage for the best players. As a global ambassador, he bridges the gap between traditional sport and competitive video gaming, helping to spotlight the next generation of athletes vying for global glory. We are honored to have the greatest player of all time at our side at this crucial moment for Esport,” we can read on the EWC website.
An unprecedented competition
For seven weeks, the best players in the world will compete in 24 different games: Fortnite, EA FC 26, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Warzone, Counter-Strike 2, chess and many others. It is quite simply the largest competitive video gaming event in the world in terms of variety of games and cash prizes, around 75 million dollars, or 65.6 million euros.
Among these 75 million dollars, 30 million concerns the Club Championship prize pool, the great originality of the EWC. Unlike classic tournaments where a team competes in a single game, the EWC offers a club championship. Large global structures (like Team Falcons, Vitality, Gen.G, etc.) accumulate points based on the performance of their players across all different games. At the end, the most versatile and successful club receives the jackpot and the $7 million promised to the structure at the top of the ranking. The top 24 organizations receive money, including $100,000 for the 24th. The Saudi structure Team Falcons had won the two previous editions. On the French side, Vitality took third place last year.
