The World Sports Cup attracted unprecedented viewers in the first half of the opening ceremony
Riyadh: The Esports World Cup, the world's largest eSports competition and festival, entered the second half of its competition after attracting record audiences and live attendance at its opening ceremony on Riyadh Boulevard.
The Esports World Cup Foundation, the non-profit organization that hosts the EWC, reported a total of 177.5 million watch hours in the first four weeks, with a number of individual tournaments generating the highest viewership. Additionally, a total of $16.5 million of the event's record-breaking $60 million prize pool has been distributed over nine of the 22 championships. The event's daily festival attracted more than one million visitors in the first half of the landmark event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ralph Reichert, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Foundation, said: “After four fast weeks, the FIFA World Cup has exceeded our highest expectations. When we embarked on this journey, our goal was to leapfrog the eSports industry with a historic global event that unites the best games, players and clubs, reaching fans beyond eSports enthusiasts and in At the same time, take advantage of 3.4 billion gamers worldwide. I am proud that we are on our way to achieving this goal in Riyadh with hundreds of millions of viewers at home, and more than a million visitors at home, which not only our expectations, but many eSports records of the year. It destroyed 2024. The EWC has awarded more than $16 million in life-changing prizes so far, with millions more to come, including the ultimate prize – a $20 million stake in the World Sports Cup Club Championship at the end of August.
Viewers and social highlights
In the first four weeks of the Esports World Cup, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang recorded the highest viewership of the event with nearly 2.4 million concurrent games, the largest number for any MLBB tournament in 2024. The game's popularity spread to the MLBB women's invitation to the EWC. Recorded 2.5 million hours of viewing in its entire 34-hour run. With a peak audience of 265,117, it became the fourth most watched event in women's eSports history. Mobile games generally exceeded viewership expectations at EWC, with Free Fire attracting more than 441,000 concurrent peaks.
On PC, two popular multiplayer online battle arena games created a high watermark for viewers at EWC. Dota 2 was the game's most-watched tournament this year with 55 million watch hours, while League of Legends was the game's biggest third-party tournament of the decade with 53 million watch hours and a 3.4 rating. million viewers (including China).
EWC has attracted high engagement from fans across social media. Its accounts have collectively recorded more than one billion views, 270 million social video views and 58 million social engagements, a testament to the event's resonance among the global eSports community and beyond.
Important points of attendance
During the first half of EWC, more than one million visitors attended the massive on-site experience at City Boulevard in Riyadh. Festival venues alone have attracted 289,000 visitors, while esports tournaments have sold over 60,000 tickets so far. The esports events are less than 3,000 tickets away from selling out overall, with four weeks and 13 matches still to go. The EWC day pass is sold out for the entire tournament, while POWR Villa and Falcons HQ are fully booked until August 17.
During Week 3, EWC hosted international soccer superstars Neymar and Diego Jota. As avid eSports fans, both athletes were immersed in the energetic atmosphere surrounding the Counter-Strike 2 event.
Jota said: “It is truly an amazing experience to be at the opening of the Esports World Cup. The organization and scale behind this event is truly impressive, even more so than I anticipated. I've always believed in the potential of eSports, even before starting my own team, and EWC is proof that the scene is rapidly evolving. This level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what eSports needs to grow and reach a wider audience. I'm excited to see how EWC continues to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming.
Match highlights
The EWC has already awarded $16.5 million in prize money in nine championships and another $450,000 in MVP awards. More than $44 million in prize money will be awarded in the final four weeks of the tournament, which includes the remaining 13 championships and the club championship.
The Falcons currently sit atop the Esports World Cup Club Championship standings with 3,500 points, 2,330 points ahead of second place Team Liquid. The Club Championship, an innovative competitive format distinct from the EWC with an exclusive prize pool of $20 million, rewards the top 16 clubs based on their overall performance. At the end of the event, the club with the best performance in the 22 championship games will become the first club champion of the World Sports Cup.
The first four weeks brought some discomfort and dominant performance. In the $500,000 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women's Invitational, Smart Empress Omega upset tournament favorites Team Vitality to claim the $180,000 top prize. In the Overwatch 2 tournament, Crazy Raccoon cruised through the bracket, winning 15 of the game's 17 maps to take home the trophy and $400,000. And in League of Legends, global superstar Faker led defending world champion T1 to a 3-1 victory over Top Esports, adding another international honor to his storied career.
Weekend off
With the inaugural EWC over, the biggest weekend in eSports history takes place on August 24-25.
On August 24, the 2024 Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in eSports, will honor the best in business from around the world, clubs, athletes, content creators, games and more. Highlights of the evening include the Lifetime Achievement Mixer, Red Carpet Event, eSports Village and the star-studded awards ceremony itself, which last year attracted more than 22 million viewers.
The second two-day new World Sports Conference kicks off on August 24 as it unites leaders in eSports, gaming, business, sports and entertainment to explore the 'future of fans'. Thought leaders from around the world will discuss the impact of fans on business planning, content, IP and media rights, marketing and community building. The lineup of speakers to date includes: Prince Faisal Ben Bandar, Ralph Reichert, Magnus Carlsen, Toshimoto Mitomo, Greg Norman, Maya Rogers, RJ Cutler, Dr. Sungi Yoon, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and Joe Marsh.
The weekend concludes on August 25, as the first Esports World Cup Club Champion is crowned and earns his share of the $20 million Club Championship prize. The EWC closing ceremony then welcomes clubs, players and fans to come together for a spectacular celebration with fireworks, light shows and live music.
