Esports World Cup announces record-breaking prize pool

For the second iteration of the Esports World Cup, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) is upping the stakes with a record-breaking US$70 million prize pool.

After the initial success of Esports World Cup 2024, the tournament organisers decided to expand the multi-game tournament to include 25 esports titles and introduce other changes to make the event more appealing.

Few will make it. Fewer will deserve it.

Who has what it takes? pic.twitter.com/jYJS62lJZY

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) April 10, 2025

The 2025 EWC expands the Club Program to 40 teams (from 30), with 32 spots reserved for open signups and the remaining eight reserved for the top eight teams of last year’s championship.

The most recent development, however, was the announcement of a $10 million increase from the 2024 EWC prize pool.

“We went in last year with $60 million, it was unheard of, it was so much bigger than anything else, and at the same time, we wanted to leave room for growth,” EWCF chief executive Ralf Reichert said.

Despite the massive prize pool, Reichert stated that the EWCF did not want to overflow the ecosystem with money and not make the same mistake as Dota 2 with The International.

“So we went from 60 to 70 because we feel that this adds value and that this creates a clear story of growth and looking forward while not overflowing the ecosystem with money,” he said.

The new prize fund is divided into individual game pools, qualifying events, and MVP awards across the Esports World Cup.

The remaining $27 million is reserved for the Club Championship — a $7 million increase from last year.

• Individual game prize pool – $38,000,000
• Qualifying events – $5,000,000+
• MVP awards – $450,000
• Club Championship – $7,000,000

Along with the total money allocated to the Esports World Cup 2025, the tournament organisers also unveiled the dedicated prize pool for some of the biggest games.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – $1,800,000
• Dota 2 – $3,000,000
• Counter-Strike 2 – $1,250,000
• PUBG Mobile – $3,000,000
• Overwatch 2 – $1,000,000
• Rocket League – $1,000,000
• Chess – $1,500,000
• CrossFire – $2,000,000
• League of Legends – $2,000,000

The Esports World Cup 2025 is scheduled to run from July 7 through August 24, 2025.

Esports news