THE FIRST-EVER ESPORTS WORLD CUP (EWC) VALORANT TOURNAMENT
The first-ever Esports World Cup (EWC) VALORANT tournament will bring together
16 OF THE WORLD’S TOP TEAMS
to compete for a share of the
$1.25 MILLION (~£922,918) prize pool.
Taking place from
JULY 8 TO JULY 13 IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA,
the event marks a
NEW MILESTONE FOR INTERNATIONAL VALORANT COMPETITION.
In addition to prize money, teams from the four
VCT REGIONS — AMERICAS, EMEA, CHINA, AND PACIFIC
will also fight for
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS,
which boost their organizations' chances to win more across the broader EWC structure.
QUALIFIED TEAMS BY REGION
AMERICAS
-
G2 ESPORTS and SENTINELS earned direct invites by finishing top two in Stage 1.
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They’ll be joined by NRG and 100 THIEVES, who secured their spots by defeating MIBR and EVIL GENIUSES in the EWC Americas Qualifier.
CHINA
-
XLG ESPORTS, the 2024 Ascension team, joins after an impressive Stage 1.
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Also competing: BILIBILI GAMING (BLG) and EDWARD GAMING (EDG), the reigning VCT Champions who won the China Evolution Series Act 2.
-
TITAN ESPORTS CLUB surprised many by defeating teams like BLG and Wolves Esports to earn their place.
EMEA
-
FNATIC and TEAM HERETICS, the top two in Stage 1.
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Joining them are BBL ESPORTS and KARMINE CORP (KC), who shocked fans by eliminating TEAM LIQUID despite a weak Stage 1 performance.
PACIFIC
-
REX REGUM QEON (RRQ) and GEN.G ESPORTS qualified early.
-
PAPER REX and DRX earned the remaining spots by outperforming TEAM SECRET and GLOBAL ESPORTS.
-
T1, despite their win at VALORANT MASTERS BANGKOK, were eliminated in groups and will not compete at EWC.
FULL LIST OF QUALIFIED TEAMS
-
G2 ESPORTS
-
SENTINELS
-
NRG
-
100 THIEVES
-
XLG ESPORTS
-
BILIBILI GAMING
-
EDWARD GAMING
-
TITAN ESPORTS CLUB
-
FNATIC
-
TEAM HERETICS
-
BBL ESPORTS
-
KARMINE CORP
-
REX REGUM QEON
-
GEN.G ESPORTS
-
PAPER REX
-
DRX
CONTROVERSY
Despite the star-studded lineup, the tournament has faced backlash from fans and prominent industry figures.
Its ties to the Saudi Arabian government have sparked accusations of ‘sportswashing’, casting a shadow over what many consider one of the most anticipated events in VALORANT history.
WATCH LIVE
The EWC VALORANT TOURNAMENT will be
streamed live starting July 8
on the official Esports World Cup Twitch and YouTube channels.