Organizer
The foundation controls the competition brand and Club Championship.
Competition
Esports World Cup
An annual global multi-title esports competition that brings clubs, players, publishers and commercial partners together around individual game tournaments and a cross-game Club Championship.
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Updated September 2, 2026Competition snapshot
Host and dates
Riyadh 2024–2025 · Paris 2026[2][4]
The series moved from Riyadh to Paris for its third edition.
Champion
Varies by edition
Each edition records its own Club Championship winner.
Combined prize pool
Varies by edition
Prize-pool totals are recorded separately on each edition page.
Games
24 games in the latest edition[4]
The 2026 program comprised 25 tournaments across 24 games.
Participant scale
2,000+ players · 200 clubs[4]
Latest published 2026 edition scale.
CategoryPartnerCommercial note
Category
Organizer
Partner
Esports FoundationCommercial note
Event owner and organizer · Recorded in the 2026, 2025, 2024 editions.[1]
Category
Connectivity & Network
Partner
stcCommercial note
Network partner · Recorded in the 2026 edition.[14]
Category
Media & PR
Partner
The Story MobCommercial note
International media relations · Recorded in the 2026 edition.[14]
Category
Venue Operations
Commercial note
Venue provider · Recorded in the 2026 edition.[14]
Category
Operating partner
Partner
ESL FACEIT GroupCommercial note
Tournament operations and broadcast programming under a multi-year agreement · Recorded in the 2025, 2024 editions.[15]
Category
Airline and travel
Partner
SaudiaCommercial note
Official airline partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[16]
Category
Merchandise
Partner
adidasCommercial note
Official merchandise sponsor · Recorded in the 2024 edition.[17]
Category
Beverage and fan activation
Partner
PepsiCommercial note
Strategic partner with fan activations and venue naming · Recorded in the 2024 edition.[17]
Editions
The series increased its published prize pool across its first three editions and moved from Riyadh to Paris in 2026, its first edition outside Saudi Arabia.[4][5]
| Edition | Host | Dates | Prize pool | Games | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Latest tracked | Paris, France | Jul 2, 2026 – Aug 23, 2026 | $75M | 24 | AG.AL |
| 2025 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Jul 7, 2025 – Aug 24, 2025 | $71.5M | 24 | Team Falcons |
| 2024 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Jul 3, 2024 – Aug 25, 2024 | $62.5M | 22 | Team Falcons |
PTG Database Analysis
The Esports World Cup’s distinctive asset is the combination of individual game tournaments with a cross-title Club Championship. That structure brings publishers, clubs and players into one recurring program while giving commercial partners a choice between the master competition, a specific edition and individual game environments.[5]
The move from Riyadh to Paris in 2026 turned the third edition into a test of whether the format could travel beyond its original Saudi host market. The event completed that first international edition with AG.AL as Club Champion, ending Team Falcons’ two-year run, before the organizer confirmed a return to Riyadh in 2027.[2][4]
For prospective partners, the central issue is rights scope. Competition-wide positioning, game-specific activation, host-market experiences and broadcast content may involve different operators, publishers, territories and delivery periods. The series page therefore stays focused on the long-term structure and edition comparison; audience, program and activation details live on each year page so superseded facts are not presented as current.[1][5]
References18
- [1]EWC 2026 Media Guide — Esports World Cup
- [2]Inside EWC's Eight-Week Move to Paris: Mike McCabe on Going Global — Press The Game
- [3]Cristiano Ronaldo Named Global Ambassador of the Esports World Cup 2025 — Esports World Cup Foundation
- [4]AG.AL Crowned Esports World Cup 2026 Club Champion After Landmark Competition in Paris — Esports World Cup
- [5]Esports World Cup — Wikipedia
- [6]2026 Esports World Cup — Wikipedia
- [7]Esports World Cup crowns champions in Paris after move from Riyadh — Euronews
- [8]Team Falcons Crowned Esports World Cup 2025 Club Champions After Seven Weeks of Record-Breaking Competition — Esports World Cup Foundation
- [9]2025 Esports World Cup — Wikipedia
- [10]Team Falcons wins Esports World Cup Club Championship — Esports Insider
- [11]Esports World Cup official retrospective — Esports World Cup
- [12]2024 Esports World Cup — Wikipedia
- [13]L'Arabie saoudite, organisatrice et grande gagnante de l'Esports World Cup — Le Monde
- [14]EWC 2026 Media Guide — Relationship evidence
- [15]ESL FACEIT Group — Relationship evidence
- [16]Esports World Cup — Relationship evidence
- [17]Esports Insider — Relationship evidence
- [18]Saudi Press Agency — Relationship evidence
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