With a $70 million prize pool, 25 tournaments, celebrities from Post Malone to Cristiano Ronaldo, and new titles including Valorant and Chess, the world’s biggest esports event just got bigger.
The Esports World Cup was already the biggest event in competitive gaming. Season 2 is something else entirely.
Returning to Riyadh this summer, Esports World Cup: Level Up raises every bar set by its debut season and has more games, more countries, more money, and more pressure than the sport has ever seen in a single tournament series. With 25 tournaments spread across seven weeks, competitors from over 100 countries are chasing a share of a staggering $70 million prize pool, and it’s the largest in esports history.
A Stage Built for the World
From the opening moments of the season, EWC 2025 signals that it has outgrown the boundaries of traditional esports. Global superstars Post Malone and Cristiano Ronaldo headline the tournament’s launch at the opening ceremonies, lending the event a crossover energy that few sports properties, esports or otherwise, have ever achieved.
The opening ceremony was headlined by live performances from global superstar Post Malone, alongside the full artist line-up for the tournament, including DINO of SEVENTEEN, Duckwrth, and Telle Smith of The Word Alive, as well as GRAMMY-nominated producer and electronic music sensation Alesso, and virtuoso cellist Tina Guo. “Til My Fingers Bleed” was named the official Song of the Year for Esports World Cup 2025.
New Games, New Stakes
Season 2 expands the game slate in ways that will delight longtime fans and draw in new audiences. Valorant makes its EWC debut, bringing Riot Games’ tactical shooter to the world’s biggest esports stage for the first time. Fnatic’s charismatic star Boaster steps into the spotlight as one of the tournament’s breakthrough personalities, and he’s part competitor, part showman, entirely compelling.
Perhaps the most surprising addition is Chess. Team Liquid makes the unconventional move of signing world champion Magnus Carlsen as their ace in a discipline that bridges the gap between traditional competition and esports. Returning favorites League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty: Warzone, Street Fighter, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike round out a slate that ensures something for every corner of the global gaming community.
The Club Championship: Three Teams, One Crown
At the heart of the season is the Club Championship — a cumulative points race that runs alongside every individual tournament and determines the world’s best esports organization. Three superteams dominate the conversation all summer long.
Team Falcons, the reigning force, arrive with targets on their backs. Star player Soka finds himself the center of a three-way rivalry in Warzone that turns deeply personal, with former teammates lining up to settle scores both on and off the screen.
Team Liquid starts slow — dangerously slow — but mounts one of the season’s most compelling surges. Their story is human at its core: a new MLBB coach named ArSy, whose harrowing childhood journey quietly becomes the emotional backbone of the entire series, pushing his players toward something greater than a trophy.
Team Vitality is relentless in the chase. MLBB player Vivian carries the weight of childhood trauma and recent failure into every match, turning personal struggle into competitive fuel. As the Club Championship tightens heading into the final week, Vitality refuse to be written off.
The Final Week
Week 7 delivers the culmination that the entire season has been building toward. Street Fighter champion Xiao Hai — raised under the iron discipline of a father who drilled him toward video game greatness — carries the weight of legacy into the deciding matches. With Rocket League, Street Fighter, and Counter-Strike serving as the final arbiters, the Club Championship comes down to single results, single moments, and the question of who wants it most when everything is on the line.
Underdogs tip the scales. Superteams feel the pressure. And somewhere in those final hours, a new chapter in esports history gets written.
For even more excitement, tune in to Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, kicking off July 7 and opening ceremonies featuring Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, and Theodora.
Spencer Hulse is the Editorial Director at Grit Daily. He is responsible for overseeing other editors and writers, day-to-day operations, and covering breaking news.
