The eSports World Cup draws unprecedented crowds, with the first half of the inaugural event selling out
RIYADH: The Esports World Cup, the world’s largest esports competition and festival, has entered the second half of its competition after attracting unprecedented live attendance and crowds for its inaugural event at Boulevard Riyadh City.
The Esports World Cup Foundation, the non-profit organization that hosts the EWC, announced a total of 177.5 million hours watched in the first four weeks, with a number of individual tournaments setting viewership records. Additionally, a total of $16.5 million of the event’s record-breaking $60 million prize pool was distributed across nine of the 22 total leagues. The event’s daily festival attracted more than one million visitors during the first half of the historic event, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“After four fast-paced weeks, the Esports World Cup has already exceeded our highest expectations,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “When we started this journey, our goal was to make a leap forward in the esports industry with a historic global event that unites the best games, players and clubs, and reaches fans beyond the core esports enthusiasts, tapping into the 3.4 billion gamers worldwide. I am proud that we are well on our way to achieving this goal here in Riyadh with hundreds of millions of viewers at home and over a million visitors on-site, shattering not only our own expectations, but also many 2024 esports records. The EWC has awarded more than $16 million in life-changing prize money to date, with millions more to come, including the grand prize: a share of $20 million in the Esports World Cup Club Championship at the end of August.”
Social Views & Highlights
In the first four weeks of the Esports World Cup, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang recorded the highest peak viewership of the event with nearly 2.4 million concurrent viewers, the highest figure for any MLBB tournament in 2024. The game’s popularity extended to the MLBB Women’s Invitational at the EWC, recording 2.5 million hours watched across its 34 hours of total broadcast. With 265,117 peak viewers, it became the fourth most-watched event in women’s esports history. Mobile games in general exceeded viewership expectations at the EWC, with Free Fire attracting over 441,000 peak concurrent viewers.
On PC, two popular multiplayer online battle arena games set viewership records at the EWC. With 55 million hours watched, the Dota 2 competition was the most-watched tournament for the game this year, while the League of Legends competition was the largest third-party tournament for the game in the last decade, recording 53 million hours watched and 3.4 million peak viewers (including China).
The EWC attracted high levels of fan engagement on social media. Its accounts collectively recorded more than one billion impressions, 270 million social video views, and 58 million total social interactions, a testament to the event’s resonance across the global esports community and beyond.
Participation Highlights
Over the first half of the EWC, more than one million visitors attended the massive on-site experience at Boulevard City in Riyadh. The festival venues alone have attracted 289,000 visitors, while the esports competitions have sold more than 60,000 tickets so far. The esports events are less than 3,000 tickets away from selling out, with four weeks and 13 competitions to go. The EWC day pass is sold out for the entire tournament, while POWR Villa and Falcons HQ are fully booked through August 17.
During the third week, the EWC hosted international football superstars Neymar and Diogo Jota. As avid esports fans, both athletes were able to soak up the high-energy atmosphere surrounding the Counter-Strike 2 event.
“Being here at the inaugural Esports World Cup is a truly incredible experience,” said Jota. “The organization and scale of this event is truly impressive, even more than I expected. I have always believed in the potential of esports, even before I founded my team, and EWC is proof that this scene is evolving rapidly. This level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what esports needs to grow and reach a wider audience. I am excited to see how EWC will continue to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming.”
Competition Highlights
The EWC has already awarded $16.5 million in prize money across nine tournament championships and another $450,000 in MVP awards. More than $44 million in prize money will be awarded over the final four weeks of competition spanning the remaining 13 championships and the Club Championship.
Team Falcons currently sits atop the Esports World Cup Club Championship standings with 3,500 points, 2,330 more than runner-up Team Liquid. The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format distinctive to the EWC with a dedicated prize pool of $20 million, awards the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance. At the end of the event, the club with the best performance across the 22 in-game leagues will be crowned the first-ever Esports World Cup Club World Champion.
The first four weeks have provided a series of surprises and dominant performances. In the record-breaking $500,000 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women’s Invitational, Smart Omega Empress upset tournament favorite Team Vitality to claim the $180,000 top prize. In the Overwatch 2 tournament, Crazy Raccoon dominated the bracket, winning 15 of 17 maps played to take home the trophy and $400,000. And in League of Legends, global superstar Faker led reigning world champions T1 to a 3-1 victory over Top Esports, adding another international accolade to his storied career.
Closing weekend
The biggest weekend in esports history will take place on August 24 and 25, coinciding with the conclusion of the inaugural EWC.
On August 24, the Esports Awards 2024, the most prestigious night in esports, will honor the industry’s best from around the world, celebrating clubs, athletes, content creators, games and more. Highlights of the night will include the lifetime achievement mixer, red carpet event, esports Village and the star-studded awards ceremony, which last year attracted over 22 million viewers.
The second two-day New Global Sport Conference kicks off August 24, uniting leaders from esports, gaming, business, sports, and entertainment to explore “The Future of Fandom.” Thought leaders from around the world will discuss the impact of fandom on business planning, content, IP and media rights, marketing, and community building. Speaker lineup to date includes: Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Ralf Reichert, Magnus Carlsen, Toshimoto Mitomo, Greg Norman, Maya Rogers, RJ Cutler, Dr. Songyee Yoon, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and Joe Marsh.
The weekend will conclude on August 25 with the crowning of the first Esports World Cup Club Champion, who will receive their share of the $20 million Club Championship prize pool. The EWC Closing Ceremony will then welcome clubs, players and fans for a spectacular celebration, complete with fireworks, a light show and live music.
