What’s on in esports for week beginning July 21, 2025

A huge week of pro gaming kicks off on Monday, July 21, 2025, with the 2025 Esports World Cup maintaining the spotlight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The second week of the Esports World Cup is now behind us, and five EWC tournaments will either continue or kick off over the next week.

Meanwhile, one of the most prestigious Counter-Strike 2 events on the calendar, IEM Cologne, will kick off on Wednesday, July 23.

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Honor of Kings Esports World Cup

Following the first week of action at the Honor of Kings Esports World Cup, the Group Stage, Group Kings and Last Chance are all done and dusted, leaving us with eight teams to compete in the Playoffs.

Paws Gaming, Nova Esports, Alpha 7 Esports, OG, Team Vitality and Twisted Minds join AG.AL and TT Global in the playoffs, which are set to begin on Wednesday, July 23.

Check out our extensive Honor of Kings EWC betting guide to get the latest odds and details.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup 2025

Another of the Esports World Cup events that will continue this week will be the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup. The men’s tournament gave the MLBB Women’s Invitational clear air during week two, and now it will return for the Group Stage on Wednesday, July 23.

After claiming the sole Group Stage spot from the Wildcard Stage, Virtus.pro will join the other 15 squads in the next stage of the Cup.

Check out our extensive Mobile Legends: Bang Bang EWC betting guide to get the latest odds and details.

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  The bookies' bookie

StarCraft II Esports World Cup

StarCraft II will return to the Esports World Cup for the second straight year, as 18 of the world’s best players seek to claim the StarCraft II Esports World Cup title.

Kicking off on Tuesday, July 22, the Play-In and Group Stages will be held across the first two days before the Playoffs take place on Thursday and Friday.

Top esports betting sites have marked defending champion Clément “Clem” Desplanches as the +162 outright favourite to reclaim his title in 2025. However, last year’s runner-up, Joona “Serral” Sotala (+195), is also given a strong chance to go one better this year.

Check out our extensive StarCraft II EWC betting guide to get the latest odds and details.

Call of Duty Esports World Cup

One of the biggest esports titles, Call of Duty, will once again take its place at the Esports World Cup as the US$1.8 million event will run from July 24-27.

Along with 11 of the 12 Call of Duty League squads, five qualifying teams will complete the 16-team competition as they all fight to be crowned the CoD Esports World Cup champion.

Following their second-place finish in 2024, 100 Thieves will start as the +150 outright favourite with BetOnline, but they are closely followed by FaZe Clan (+225) and OpTic Gaming (+250).

Check out our extensive Call of Duty EWC betting guide to get the latest odds and details.

PUBG Mobile Esports World Cup

Following three successful years in Riyadh, PUBG Mobile will kick off with the fourth edition of the PUBG Mobile World Cup on Friday, July 25.

The US$3 million tournament will run through August 3, with the Group Stage being held over this weekend before the Survival Stage and Grand Finals take place next week.

Due to two-time champions Vampire Esports not qualifying for the 2025 PUBG Mobile World Cup, reigning champs Alpha7 Esports will head into the event as heavy favourites this year.

Check out our extensive PUBG Mobile EWC betting guide to get the latest odds and details.

Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2025

Although some of the tier one Counter-Strike 2 teams returned from their break at either the ESL Pro League qualifiers or FISSURE Playground #1, the rest of the squads will compete in their first event since the summer break at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025.

IEM Cologne will begin with the Play-In Stage on Wednesday, July 23, and run through to the grand final on Sunday, August 3, with 24 teams competing for the lion’s share of the US$1 million prize pool.

It comes as no surprise that SportsBetting.ag have marked defending champions Team Vitality as the -120.48 favourite, as they seek their seventh title in 2025.

Check out our extensive IEM Cologne betting guide to get the latest odds and details.