Twisted Minds lift the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS crown at EWC | August 2025

Twisted Minds have erased the heartbreak of last year’s near miss, conquering one of the closest PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS grand finals in history to capture the Esports World Cup 2025 crown in Riyadh. The Saudi-based roster outlasted 12 teams still in contention heading into the final match, finally bringing home the title they had been chasing since their 2024 disappointment.

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  Fast Payouts

In 2024, Twisted Minds arrived at the World Cup as hot favourites but faltered under the pressure. This time, they refused to let history repeat itself. Across 12 rounds of grueling play, the squad displayed a mix of patience, mechanical skill, and clutch survival instincts that kept them in the hunt until the very end.

Match 11 proved to be the turning point, as Twisted Minds opened a crucial lead going into the final drop. Though they stumbled early in Match 12 and were reduced to just two players, Dmytrii “Perfect1ks” Dubenyuk’s late-game resilience secured the placement points needed to lock in overall victory.

“I’m just thankful—for my team, for my family, for my girlfriend, and for the whole Twisted Minds family,” said Aleksandr “BatulinS” Batulin. “The fans cheering us here made this the most amazing tournament. Now, we are finally world champions.”

While Twisted Minds celebrated the championship, the SONY MVP award went to Gabriel “sxntastico” Silva of ROC Esports. His dazzling 18 kills and 25 knockouts across the tournament powered his side to multiple first-place finishes, earning him $10,000 and the MVP medal despite falling short of the title.

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  The bookies' bookie

What’s next at EWC 2025?

With PUBG history made in Riyadh, the Esports World Cup continues its relentless march forward. Next on the main stage is Counter-Strike 2, where legends of the tactical FPS scene will fight for supremacy in one of esports’ most iconic battlegrounds. Fans can expect clutch defuses, eco-round miracles, and championship-deciding headshots as CS2 takes the spotlight.