This event could change esports forever.
The Esports World Cup 2024 will feature an "unprecedented" prize pool of over $60 million, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced on Tuesday, April 16. This surpasses the previous record of $45 million set by Gamers8: The Land of Heroes in 2023.
The Esports World Cup 2024 will feature top organizations and players in the world competing throughout an eight-week schedule in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer.
How does the Esports World Cup 2024 prize pool work?
Not only the prize pool of Esports World Cup 2024 will set a new milestone for esports tournaments, but it will also have an innovative format. The EWCF has separated $20 million to the top 16 organizations of the event based on overall performance. The organization with the best performance across various games will be crowned the first Esports World Cup club champion when the Esports World Cup concludes.
Besides the $20 million share destined for organizations, each of the game championships at Esports World Cup 2024 will have its own prize pool. This amount will exceed $33 million, according to the EWCF.
The rest of the prize pool will go to MVP awards—$50,000 for the best player in each game, reaching $1.1 million in total—and the remaining $7.6 million will go to several qualifiers that will determine the final spots in the Esports World Cup 2024.
The 19 games featured in the Esports World Cup 2024 include popular games such as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, and Dota 2 plus some mobile games.
Why is the prize pool so big?
The Esports World Cup 2024's record-shattering prize pool represents a "significant step forward" in EWCF's effort to grow the global esports industry, whilst providing more sustainable career options for players and organizations.
"Setting the record for largest esports prize pool is a remarkable achievement, but what I’m most proud of is the positive message this sends to the wider esports and gaming community," EWCF's CEO Ralf Reichert said in an official statement. "More than $60 million is a testament to our investment in the future of global esports, a commitment to esports fans who deserve exceptional events and an extension of our mission to create meaningful competitive opportunities with life-changing prize pools for esports athletes everywhere."
Depending on the success of the event, we could see the EWCF bolster the prize pool even further for future editions as the Esports World Cup will happen annually.
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