Betting on the StarCraft II Esports World Cup gave RTS fans one of the biggest esports betting events of the year in 2025, with 18 of the world’s best players competing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a US$700,000 prize pool. Joona “Serral” Sotala won the 2025 StarCraft II EWC title, beating Kim “Classic” Doh-woo in the grand final.
StarCraft II has not been confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2026 schedule at this stage, so there are currently no live 2026 StarCraft II EWC odds or participant lists available. ESB will update this guide if StarCraft II returns to the Esports World Cup in a future season.
Our StarCraft II Esports World Cup betting guide covers the latest event status, previous results, likely betting markets, the 2025 format, prize pool distribution, past winners and how to watch future StarCraft II EWC coverage if the title returns.
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What is the StarCraft II Esports World Cup?
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup was the game’s major tournament at the wider Esports World Cup festival in Riyadh. The event brought together elite players from Korea, Europe, North America, China and other key StarCraft regions, with qualification tied to major tournaments and regional paths.
StarCraft II is one of the most important real-time strategy games in esports history. Players choose between Terran, Zerg and Protoss, then compete through economy management, scouting, army control, build-order planning, map movement and late-game decision-making.
The 2025 EWC event was one of the richest StarCraft II tournaments of the season. Serral claimed the title and the US$200,000 first prize, while Classic finished runner-up and Cure completed the podium. StarCraft II is not currently listed for EWC 2026, but the 2025 tournament remains an important part of the game’s modern competitive history.
- Event: StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025
- Game: StarCraft II
- Host event: Esports World Cup 2025
- Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2025 dates: July 22-25, 2025
- Players: 18
- Prize pool: US$700,000
- 2025 champion: Joona “Serral” Sotala
- 2026 status: Not currently confirmed for EWC 2026
Esports World Cup news & tips
StarCraft II Esports World Cup betting
StarCraft II betting is more specialised than markets for major team-based esports, but major international events can still attract useful odds. When StarCraft II markets are available, the most common options include outright winner, match winner, map handicap, correct score, total maps and selected live betting.
Because StarCraft II is a 1v1 esport, bettors should focus heavily on player form, race matchups, map pool, recent tournament results and head-to-head history. A player who looks dominant in one matchup may be far less convincing against a different race or on a less comfortable map pool.
The strongest StarCraft II betting sites should offer more than a basic outright market when a major tournament is live. Look for map handicap lines, match score markets and clear settlement rules for best-of-three, best-of-five, best-of-seven and best-of-nine series.
For broader Esports World Cup betting coverage, you can also compare markets on current EWC titles:
- Dota 2 Esports World Cup
- Counter-Strike 2 Esports World Cup
- League of Legends Esports World Cup
- PUBG Esports World Cup
- Rocket League Esports World Cup
- Rainbow Six Siege X Esports World Cup
Top StarCraft II betting sites
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StarCraft II Esports World Cup odds
StarCraft II Esports World Cup odds are not currently available, as StarCraft II has not been confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2026 schedule. ESB will update this page if StarCraft II returns to the EWC lineup in a future season.
If StarCraft II markets return, Serral would be one of the first names for bookmakers to assess after winning the 2025 EWC title. Other elite players from Korea and Europe would also shape the outright market depending on qualification, race distribution, map pool and recent form.
StarCraft II futures should be treated carefully until the final player list and bracket are confirmed. Race matchups matter heavily, and a difficult early draw can change the value of an outright bet even when a player is one of the strongest names in the field.
- StarCraft II Esports World Cup winner – Odds TBC
- To reach the final – Odds TBC
- Match winner – Odds TBC
- Map handicap – Odds TBC
- Total maps – Odds TBC
- Correct score – Odds TBC
- Live betting – Odds TBC
StarCraft II Esports World Cup participants
The 2025 StarCraft II Esports World Cup featured 18 players, including defending 2024 champion Clem, eventual 2025 champion Serral, Classic, Cure, Solar, Maru, herO, Reynor, ShoWTimE, Rogue, ByuN, HeRoMaRinE, Lambo, Cyan, Trigger, Zoun, SHIN and Astrea.
No 2026 StarCraft II EWC participant list has been announced because StarCraft II is not currently confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2026 schedule.
Top 2025 Finishers
- Serral
- Classic
- Cure
- Solar
- Clem
- herO
Other 2025 Players
- Maru
- Reynor
- Rogue
- SHIN
- ShoWTimE
- Zoun
Field Status
- ByuN
- Cyan
- HeRoMaRinE
- TriGGeR
- Lambo
- Astrea
StarCraft II Esports World Cup format
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025 used a Play-In Stage, Group Stage and Playoffs. The structure gave lower-seeded players a route into the main bracket while keeping the final rounds focused on long series between the strongest performers.
The section below outlines the 2025 format. ESB will update this section if StarCraft II returns to the Esports World Cup with a new structure in a future season.
Play-In Stage
- Dual Tournament format
- All matches were best-of-three series
- The top two players advanced to the Group Stage
- The remaining players were eliminated before the main group stage
Group Stage
- Double-elimination bracket
- Opening matches were best-of-three series
- All other Group Stage matches were best-of-five series
- The top four players from each group advanced to the Playoffs
- The remaining players were eliminated
Playoffs
- Single-elimination playoff bracket
- Quarterfinals and semifinals were best-of-five series
- The third-place match was best-of-seven
- The grand final was best-of-nine
- The final winner was crowned StarCraft II Esports World Cup champion
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StarCraft II Esports World Cup prize pool distribution
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025 carried a US$700,000 prize pool. Serral earned US$200,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points for winning the tournament, while Classic earned US$100,000 as runner-up.
| Position | Prize (USD) | Club Points |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | $200,000 | 1,000 |
| 2nd | $100,000 | 750 |
| 3rd | $60,000 | 500 |
| 4th | $40,000 | 300 |
| 5th-8th | $30,000 | 200 |
| 9th-12th | $22,500 | – |
| 13th-16th | $17,500 | – |
| 17th | $12,500 | – |
| 18th | $7,500 | – |
| Total | US$700,000 | TBC |
Club Championship points made the StarCraft II event important for organisations as well as individual players, with the highest finishers contributing points to their club’s wider Esports World Cup campaign.
Previous winners of the StarCraft II Esports World Cup
StarCraft II appeared at the Esports World Cup in both 2024 and 2025. Clem won the first EWC StarCraft II title in 2024, before Serral claimed the 2025 championship with victory over Classic in Riyadh.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Clément “Clem” Desplanches | Joona “Serral” Sotala |
| 2025 | Joona “Serral” Sotala | Kim “Classic” Doh-woo |
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How to watch the StarCraft II Esports World Cup
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025 was broadcast through official Esports World Cup channels, with VODs and highlights available after each day of play. If StarCraft II returns to the EWC lineup, coverage is expected to follow a similar broadcast setup through official EWC and StarCraft II esports channels.
Live viewing can be useful for StarCraft II betting, especially if sportsbooks offer in-play markets. Bettors should remember that streams can run on a delay, so live odds may move before a viewer sees a timing attack, base trade, economy swing or game-ending push.
StarCraft II Esports World Cup FAQ
StarCraft II has not been confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2026 schedule. The latest official StarCraft II EWC competition page is for the 2025 event.
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025 was held from July 22 to July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Joona “Serral” Sotala won the 2025 StarCraft II Esports World Cup, defeating Kim “Classic” Doh-woo in the grand final.
The StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025 had a US$700,000 prize pool, with US$200,000 going to the champion.
StarCraft II Esports World Cup odds are not currently available because no 2026 EWC StarCraft II event has been announced.
The main StarCraft II betting markets are likely to include outright winner, match winner, map handicap, total maps, correct score and selected live betting options.
StarCraft II betting usually focuses on individual match results, map winners, handicaps and scorelines. Bettors should consider race matchup, map pool, recent tournament form, build-order tendencies and head-to-head history before placing bets.
Clément “Clem” Desplanches won the first StarCraft II Esports World Cup in 2024, beating Joona “Serral” Sotala in the final.
Future StarCraft II EWC broadcasts would likely be shown through official Esports World Cup and StarCraft II esports channels, with live streams, highlights and VODs available online if the event returns.
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Ciaran Jackman
Senior Esports Editor
Ciaran Jackman spent six years as a senior editor at EsportBet.com, publishing nearly 1,000 articles across CS2, VALORANT and League of Legends. A mad esports fan and one of the hardest working people in the organisation, Ciaran was a defining voice on the site from 2019 to 2025.