Saudi Arabia’s plan to establish the Esports World Cup as a recurring event has been set in motion: The all-encompassing “celebration of esports” will make a return in 2025. A location hasn’t been locked in, but it’s believed the EWC will remain in the region.<\/p>
The announcement came as the Esports World Cup wrapped up this weekend with PUBG<\/a><\/em>, Rocket League<\/a><\/em>, the Esports Awards, and the closing ceremony capping off nearly two months of action in Riyadh. Saudi-backed organization Team Falcons, who participated in just about every esport running at the event, was crowned the champions of 2024 via the club championship ladder<\/a>, taking home a monstrous $7 million prize.<\/p>
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The Esports World Cup Foundation was established last year in the lead-up to this year’s inaugural event, with a major aim of the organization to make a “long-term impact” in the gaming and esports ecosystem, so it doesn’t come as a shock to see the event return. Given Esports Awards chief executive Michael Ashford revealed in an Esports Insider interview<\/a> that the Awards would remain tied to the EWC for three years, it’s clear the event won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.<\/p>
Details regarding the EWCF Support Program<\/a>, shared before EWC kicked off, now lists 30 orgs as members, with the Saudi-backed foundation aiming to assist in expansion and longevity in esports as a whole. “These esports organizations can receive six-figure funding to enter into new esports titles at the highest level, diversifying their competitive footprint and providing more opportunities for esports athletes,” the foundation wrote.<\/p>
As far as popularity goes, it’s clear EWC will take a couple of iterations to truly catch on. While viewership for minor esports titles was on par with their other tournaments, the major esports like League of Legends<\/em>, Call of Duty<\/em>, Counter-Strike 2<\/em>, and Dota 2<\/em> was down by as much as 40 percent compared to similar LAN events according to Esports Charts<\/a>.<\/p>
Far-from-ideal viewing hours due to timezones, some attendee dissatisfaction with several events<\/a>, and many turning off due to the belief the Saudi investment into esports is nothing more than sportswashing, are reasons why viewership across the board lacked this year.<\/p>
But, as the foundation learns and grows the EWC brand, and Saudi Arabia continues to expand in esports (such as playing host for the first Esports Olympic Games<\/a>), it’s only a matter of time before the event worms its way into the calendar for good.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
