Esports World Cup attracts more than 500M viewers and Team Falcons crowned first club champion

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), the not-for-profit organization dedicated to hosting the Esports World Cup (EWC), the world’s largest e-sports competition and video game festival, celebrated the historic inaugural event crowning Team Falcons as the first Esports World Cup club champion. on Sunday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The closing ceremony capped off the biggest weekend in the history of eSports, which also featured the Esports Awards 2024 were presented.star-studded Esports Awards, and held the New Global Sport Conference 2024.

At the Closing Ceremony, the victorious Team Falcons received $7M in life-changing prize money and the World Esports Club World Championship Trophy, which was presented to CEO Mossad “Msdossary” Al-Dossary by HRH Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

The Esports World Cup has highlighted the transformative impact of eSports and the pivotal role this unique industry now plays in cultures and societies around the world. For eight consecutive weeks, this unparalleled event has brought together the entire international gaming community like never before, inviting everyone to participate in this milestone in eSports history. We couldn’t be more thrilled with what happened this summer – it’s a historic moment that Saudi Arabia and the world will always remember fondly.

HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, President of the Saudi Esports Federation

Throughout its eight-week run, the Esports World Cup recorded over 500M viewers who consumed over 250M hours of content, making it the most watched tournament of 2024. The event reached its highest peak concurrent viewership of 3.5M during the League of Legends Grand Final, when legendary superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok led T1 to the championship victory over Top Esports.

T1 and Top Esports were two of more than 200 esports clubs that participated in the Esports World Cup, competing in front of sold-out crowds at Riyadh’s Boulevard City. In total, more than 2M fans visited the Esports World Cup festival at Boulevard City, which was transformed into the epicenter of video game culture, with community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, concerts and immersive international experiences.

The Esports World Cup distributed an unprecedented total of more than $60M in prize money, the largest prize pool in eSports history, $20M of which was reserved for the Club Championship, split among the top 16 finishers.

Team Falcons competed in 18 of the event’s 22 tournaments, making it the most represented club at Esports World Cup. The club finished with 5,665 points, followed by Team Falcons, Team Liquid with 2,545 points, then Team BDS with 2,000 points, Team Vitality with 1,650 points and T1 with 1,600 points, completing the Top 5. The Esports World Cup Foundation has also confirmed the return of the event to Riyadh in July and August 2025.

The Esports World Cup has been an incredible success in the first year, propelling global eSports to new heights. I am proud to have achieved what we set out to do: bring together the best video games, clubs and players, offer a life-changing prize purse and build the biggest esports festival in the world. Congratulations to Team Falcons, who have been rewarded for their competitive excellence and investment in many new games by becoming the first Esports Word Cup club champion. I can’t wait to bring the best in the industry together again for another epic EWC in 2025.

Ralf Reichert, Executive Director Esports World Cup Foundation

The Esports World Cup was a unique event that brought together the best players, teams, video games and fans in one place. Furthermore, the Esports World Cup is also a clear example that our investments and our willingness to build projects on this massive scale are primarily aimed at satisfying our young people’s passion for gaming and eSports. We are focused on the development of e-sports in Saudi Arabia and are determined to realize our vision of turning this sector into a fully operational industry that suits the interests of our local population. Our goal is to become a global hub for video gaming and e-sports; to elevate the sector, contribute significantly to its development and shape its future on a global scale.

Faisal bin Homran, Product Manager, Esports World Cup Foundation

The Esports World Cup hosted more than 1,500 of the world’s top esports gamers from over 100 countries competing in 22 events across 21 titles. The video game lineup consisted of: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Call of Duty: Warzone, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, ESL R1, Rocket League, StarCraft II, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8 and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.

Following Sunday’s awards ceremony, the winning gamers were honored at the Celebration of Champions, a festive event that combined live music with exciting stories from the careers of these champions. The program was followed by live performances headlined by international music icons Steve Aoki and Kid Cudi, as well as fireworks and a light show.

The biggest weekend in the history of e-sports also included the Esports Awards 2024, the most prestigious night in eSports, honoring the best in the industry, including teams, players, content creators, video games and more. In addition, the New Global Sport Conference 2024 (NGSC) brought together leaders from esports, video games, business, sports and entertainment to explore “The Future of Fandom.”. Thought leaders from around the world, including HRH 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, discussed the impact of fandom on business planning, content, intellectual property and media rights, marketing and community building.