Saudi Arabia Hosts Esports World Cup With $70m Prize Pool, Kingdom Targets $13.3bn GDP Boost And 39,000 Gaming Jobs
With a record-breaking prize pool of $70m, the 2025 tournament is not only the biggest in esports history but also a strategic milestone for the Kingdom's broader Vision 2030 ambitions.
This year's event features more than 2,000 elite players, 200 teams from more than 100 countries and 25 tournaments across 24 game titles, including first-time global additions like chess, Valorant, and Fatal Fury.
The seven-week festival—running from July 7 to August 24—is expected to eclipse the 2.6m visitors recorded in 2024.
Ticket sales are already up 30 per cent, with the average order value soaring 600 per cent. International ticket sales have tripled, underscoring the EWC's global appeal.
The Esports World Cup will be broadcast in more than 30 languages, reaching audiences in more than 100 countries through more than 80 media partners.
New for 2025 is a major leap in content production, with more than 50hours of premium programming under the EWC Spotlight, in partnership with IMG, distribution across global television channels and explosive growth in digital engagement, with social reach up four times and interactions up fivefold on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
The Esports World Cup Foundation also confirmed an expansion of its Club Support Program, growing from 30 to 40 clubs.
New participants from China and India reflect the tournament's expanding footprint and rising prestige in the global esports ecosystem.
The 2025 World Cup will see 2,000 athletes competing in 24 games across 25 tournaments, with more than $70 million in prize money. Image: Esports World Cup
Hosting the EWC is a core pillar of Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to: Create 39,000 jobs in the Kingdom
Contribute SR49.9bn ($13.3bn) to the national GDP by 2030
The global esports viewership reached over 574m in 2024 and is expected to exceed 640m by 2027.
With esports viewership expected to exceed 640 million by 2027, and over 3.4 billion people globally engaged in gaming, the Riyadh-based EWC cements Saudi Arabia's role at the heart of one of the world's fastest-growing industries.
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