The inaugural 2024 E-sports World Cup (EWC), which this year boasts the highest prize pool in e-sports history, may prove to be a turning point for the sector.
A whooping 60 million price pool is announced in which Club champion will get 20 million, Game champion will get 30 million and Qualifiers will get 7.6 Million
The EWC, which is being hosted by the E-sports World Cup Foundation and whose most recent details were revealed on Tuesday, will unite players, publishers, and enthusiasts from all over the world for an eight-week competitive gaming festival in Riyadh, Saudi` Arabia.
Top international teams will compete against one another in 19 different esports games, including TEKKEN 8, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, and Street Fighter 6.
Clubs will be able to choose which games they participate in before the best performing team across the various championships will be crowned the ultimate Esports World Cup champion for the very first time.
The EWC has over $60 million in prize money, which will be divided into various categories such as player bounties ($50,000 MVP awards per individual competition) and prizes for overall performance ($33 million allotted for the game competitions). Other esports prize purses have decreased as a result of well-documented financial struggles felt throughout the industry.
The event will have over 645,000 sq. ft. of venue space and features four separate esport arenas. Organizers say they expect to welcome 2.9 million fans through its doors, with the event to include two music concerts, as well as six drone and firework shows.
The EWC is the next big step in Saudi Arabia’s e-sports activities, which began with the $45 million prize fund of the Gamers8 competition last year.
In recent years, the country has made enormous financial investments in traditional sports like tennis, golf, boxing, and soccer.
The royal family has repeatedly resisted claims of “sportswashing,” a practice in which countries use major athletic events to promote their nation abroad and frequently deflect criticism away from suspected wrongdoing.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia will not finance the EWC, according to the organizers; rather, a combination of sponsorship agreements and funds from the host country would be used.
Saudi Arabia introduced “The National Gaming and E-sports Strategy” (NGES) in 2023 Saudi Arabia aims to become the global hub for competitive gaming by 2030.The Esports World Cup is the logical next step in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the boundaries of the industry, according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who announced the event in October of last year at the New Global Sport Conference.
