Reaching new heights: A look at the first Esports World Cup

Esports is entering a new chapter with the first-ever Esports World Cup, organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation. This will feature action-packed battles across 21 video game titles and lucrative prize pools. 

Aside from the on-screen action, many spectators are also eyeing the Esports World Cup betting for an enhanced experience. Learn more about this historic event and the top-level esports talent set to shine.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The inaugural Esports World Cup will be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
• The event will feature 21 game titles contested across 22 tournaments, with a total prize pool of $60 million - the largest in esports history.
• Featured esports genres include popular battle royale, first-person shooter (FPS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), real-time strategy, and fighting games.

History

The Esports World Cup 2024 will serve as a successor to Gamer8, the previous esports festival organised by the Saudi Esports Federation. Besides Gamer8, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) has also existed as an esports event.

ESWC was created by the French esports company Ligarena and took place in 2003. ESWC started as local area network (LAN) events and later grew into a larger-scale competition known as the Electronic Sports World Convention. ESWC was then discontinued in 2016. 

Years later, in 2024, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman planned to include the first-ever Esports World Cup as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to diversify the country's economy beyond its reliance on oil.

Competition format

Set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Esports World Cup 2024 will span 8 weeks, from July 3 to August 25, 2024, featuring 22 tournaments across 21 game titles. This will be the largest and most lucrative esports spectacle to date.

Each tournament has unique rules added to the Club Championship standings. Clubs can field rosters to compete across multiple game titles. At the end of each tournament, the top eight (8) finishers will be awarded points towards the Club Championship, with points given as follows:

To qualify for the Club Championship, a club must have placed in the top eight (8) of at least two competitions. Now, to be eligible to win the Championship title, a club must secure a 1st place finish in at least one competition, in addition to qualifying for the Club Championship. 

Club Championship

After the 22 tournaments, the total points earned by each club will be tallied. The top 16 Esports World Cup teams in the overall standings will share a $20 million prize pool. The club that finishes 1st overall, with the highest total points, will be crowned the first-ever Esports World Cup Club Champion and receive $7 million in prize money.

Prize pool

The 2024 Esports World Cup will feature a record-breaking prize pool of $60 million or more, the largest ever in esports. This prize money will be divided into four categories:

• Game Championships ($33 million)
• Player Bounties ($1 million)
• Qualifiers ($7 million)
• Club Championship ($20 million)

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Games in the Esports World Cup

The event will feature competitions across the world's leading esports game titles, with over 1,500 players from the top esports clubs competing. Some of the Esports World Cup games included are:

Apex Legends (Battle Royale)

Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale game that will be part of week 5 from July 31 to August 4. While Apex Legends features LGBTQ+ characters, which are restricted in Saudi Arabia, Kotaku has stated that there will be no restrictions on these characters during the 2024 Esports World Cup.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (FPS)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter game and the eighth instalment in the Call of Duty series. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 competition will occur during week 7 from August 15 to 18, 2024.

In the group stage, there will be 4 groups of 4 teams each. The top 2 teams from each group will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will use a best-of-5 single elimination format, leading up to a best-of-7 Grand Final.

Call of Duty: Warzone (Battle Royale)

Call of Duty: Warzone is a battle royale game that will be held from July 3 to 6, 2024. The tournament begins with a solo seeding stage, followed by a group stage where teams are divided into three groups playing a round-robin format. The top 14 teams will advance to the finals, consisting of eight matches.

Counter-Strike 2 (FPS)

The highly anticipated first-person shooter game will take place from July 17 to 21, 2024 in week 3. The event will start with an opening stage featuring best-of-three matches. Winners from the opening stage will advance directly to the playoffs, while losers will go to the play-in stage for another chance to qualify for the playoffs.

Dota 2 (MOBA)

The Esports World Cup 2024 will feature a popular multiplayer online battle arena game in the form of the Riyadh Masters 2024. The event will span weeks 1-3:

• Week 1 (July 4-7): Play-in stage, where winners will advance to the group stage.
• Week 2 (July 10-14): Group stage, with the top 4 teams qualifying for the playoffs.
• Week 3 (July 16-21): Playoffs, ending in a best-of-5 Grand Final.

EA Sports FC 24 (Sport Sim)

EA Sports FC 24 is a sports simulation game from the long-running EA Sports soccer franchise. The game will be played during week 7, from August 15 to 18. While EA Sports FC 24 qualifies for the event, EA Sports stated that it will not be part of the EA FC Pro ecosystem.

Garena Free Fire (Battle Royale)

Garena Free Fire is a battle royale game that will take place during Week 2, from July 10 to 14, 2024. The competition begins with a group stage, where the top 12 teams will advance to the Points Rush stage. Then, the grand finals will then consist of six matches.

Fortnite (Battle Royale)

Fortnite is also a battle royale game that will take place in Week 6, from August 8 to 11, 2025. The competition starts with a group stage, where teams will be divided into 4 groups. The top 2 teams from each group will then advance to the playoffs, which will use a best-of-7 format.

Honour of Kings (MOBA)

Honour of Kings is a MOBA game with no exact date yet, but it is estimated to take place during Week 5 of the Esports World Cup. The format for the competition has not been announced yet, but is expected to be revealed soon.

League of Legends (MOBA)

League of Legends is another MOBA game that will take place in week 1, from July 4 to 7. The tournament will begin with a single-elimination bracket. This will be followed by quarter-finals and semi-finals using a best-of-3 format. The event will end with a best-of-5 finals.

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Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MOBA)

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) will have an official esports ecosystem featuring both men's and women's battles. The men's tournament will take place over weeks 1 (July 3 to 7) and 2 (July 10 to 14). The women's competition will be held during Week 4 (July 25 to 28).

Overwatch 2 (FPS)

Overwatch is a first-person shooter game that will take place during Week 4 of the Esports World Cup, from July 24 to 28. The tournament will begin with a group stage, featuring 4 double round-robin groups. The top 3 teams from the groups will then advance to the playoffs, which will use a first-to-win-3 format.

PUBG: Battlegrounds (Battle Royale)

PUBG: Battlegrounds will take place during Week 8, from August 21 to 25, 2024. The format will start with a group stage, where the top 16 teams will advance to the finals. In the grand finals, the first team to reach 70 points and secure a WWCD (Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner) in the subsequent matches will be declared the winner.

PUBG Mobile (Battle Royale)

PUBG Mobile will take place over Weeks 3 (July 19 to 21) and 4 (July 23-24 and 26-28). The tournament will begin with a group stage. The top 12 teams from the group stage will advance to the main stage, while the bottom 12 teams will move on to the survival stage, where they will have a chance to earn a spot on the main stage.

Rainbow Six Siege (FPS)

Rainbow Six Siege will take place during week 5, from July 31 to August 4, 2024. The tournament will begin with a group stage, with the top 4 teams advancing to the playoffs. In the playoffs, the teams will compete in a best-of-3 format, leading up to a best-of-5 grand finals.

Rennsport (Sim Racing)

Rennsport is a high-fidelity sim racing game that will take place during week 8, from August 22 to 25. The tournament will have two competitions: the Driver Championship and the Team Championship. The Team Championship will have a group stage, a 2nd Chance stage, and a finals.

Rocket League (Vehicular Soccer Game)

Rocket League is a sports game where players control rocket-powered cars in a gameplay mechanic similar to soccer. At the Esports World Cup, Rocket League will take place during week 8, from August 22 to 25. The format of the competition will consist of a group stage with a best-of-5 format, followed by playoffs with a best-of-7 format.

StarCraft 2 (RTS)

StarCraft 2 is a highly popular real-time strategy game that will be featured at the Esports World Cup in Week 7, from August 14 to 18, 2024. The tournament will begin with the Main Stage, where teams will be divided into 2 groups playing in a best-of-5 format. This will be followed by a knockout bracket and a Final Four, where the semifinals and grand finals will take place.

Street Fighter 6 (Fighting Game)

One of the two fighting game tournaments at the Esports World Cup will take place in week 6, from August 8 to 11. The format consists of an initial phase, where the top 2 players will advance to the second phase. In the second phase, the top 2 players will then move on to the third and final phase, where all matches will be played in a first-to-win-5 format.

Tekken 8 (Fighting Game)

Tekken 8 is the other fighting game tournament at the Esports World Cup. It will take place during week 8, from August 22 to 25. The format for the Tekken 8 tournament will be the same as the Street Fighter 6 tournament, with a first, second, and a third and final phase.

Teamfight Tactics (Auto Battler)

Teamfight Tactics is the only auto-battler game featured at the Esports World Cup 2024. It will take place during week 6, from August 8 to 11. The format will start with a group stage, where the top 2 teams from each group will advance to the playoffs. In the playoffs, all matches will be played in a best-of-3 format, with the grand finals being in a best-of-5 format.

Betting on the first-ever Esports World Cup

Gamdom, one of the leading sportsbooks, always stays up-to-date even in the esports scene. You can get the ultimate betting experience at the Esports World Cup 2024 at Gamdom! Curious about how to bet on Esports World Cup 2024? Simply create an account, deposit funds, and begin placing bets on your anticipated matches.

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