The purse strings are being opened wide at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia. More than 60 million US dollars will be paid out – and the tournament will also have an umbrella format
Counter-Strike, the unofficial world championship of EA SPORTS FC 24, League of Legends, RENNSPORT and Rocket League. The list of disciplines at the new Esports World Cup (EWC) in Saudi Arabia is long.
Gamers8 had already suggested last year that a new record prize money would be paid out there – and this was also announced. It has now been announced that more than 60 million US dollars will be awarded across all competitions. One million will go to the winner of FC 24 alone.
“The amount of prize money is certainly a remarkable achievement, but I am particularly moved by the positive message we are sending to the wider eSports and gaming community,” explained Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, in a press release: “Our stated goal is to create meaningful competitions around the world. With prize money for eSports athletes, enabling many ambitious professionals to live a completely different life. “
Esports World Cup Club Champion is wanted
In addition, it was announced that an umbrella format will be established above the individual disciplines – the Club Championship. In this, “a total of 20 million US dollars will be paid out to the best 16 clubs based on their overall performance. Each club can choose the titles in which its teams will compete. At the end of the tournament, the club with the best performance from the various individual championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion,” the press release states.
Qualifying tournaments for EA SPORTS FC 24 will be played at DreamHack in Dallas and in Jönköping. However, there is a catch: places at the EWC are limited and participation in the qualifiers costs money.