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Nothing less than the view “life-changing prize money” is intended to attract professional teams to the 2024 Esports World Cup in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince and head of government Mohammed bin Salman wants to establish himself as a serious player in the gaming and e-sports cosmos at literally any cost. On the one hand, billions in investments in leading game manufacturers such as Electronic Arts, Capcom, Nintendo, Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard should contribute to this – but on the other hand, the organization of major tournaments should also contribute.
The Esports World Cup is considered the future crown jewel: The E-Sports World Cup is scheduled to be held for the first time in the capital Riyadh in the summer of 2024 and was announced a few months ago in the presence of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. There is no specific date yet. The state Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), which is responsible for the organization, is headed by ESL founder Ralf Reichert. In recent weeks, his committee has announced the 20 disciplines that will be practiced in this format for eight weeks.
Today details will follow “unprecedented total prize money”, which reached a new record with $60 million – the equivalent of around €56 million. The Saudi checks are intended to motivate the world's best players, teams and organizations to help the desert state, which is controversial because of its human rights violations, shine on the international stage – as is already the case in the football segment with the signing of Neymar and Ronaldo.
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Therefore, $20 million is earmarked for the 'Club Championship' alone, which go to the top 16 squads. At the end of the tournament, the organization with the best performance will be named “Esports World Cup Club Champion” chosen. The remaining $40 million is divided into three categories – game championships, MVP awards for the top players ($50,000 per discipline) and qualifying games (a total of $7.6 million), which are provided by the Cologne-based acquisition ESL Gaming be processed.
The highest prize money is available in the disciplines Dota2 ($5 million) as well Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends ($3 million each). For Rainbow Six Siege, APEX Legends and PUBG Battlegrounds $2 million each is available. $1 million each is for Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, StarCraft, Overwatch 2, EA Sports FC 24, Counter Strike 2 and League of Legends planned.
For classification: Nadal, Federer, Djokovic & Co. receive between €2 and €3 million for victories at major tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon.
Ralf Reichert, head of the Esports World Cup Foundation: “The amount of prize money is certainly a remarkable achievement – but what moves me most is the positive message that we are sending to the broader e-sports and gaming community. More than $60 million is a clear demonstration of our strong commitment to the future of global esports and a commitment to the fans who deserve exceptional events. Our stated goal is to have meaningful competitions around the world, with prize money for e-sports athletes, which will enable many ambitious professionals to lead a completely different life.”
The Esports World Cup 2024 in Riyadh will be flanked by a festival with 'gaming activations' and community tournaments.
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