🎮 Esports World Cup 2025: A global festival of gaming, glory and growth | OneFootball

The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 is more than just a tournament — it’s a revolution in global sports culture.

Taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, through August 24, the seven-week EWC brings together 2,000 elite players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries to compete across 25 tournaments in 24 of the world’s most popular titles. With a record-breaking $70 million prize pool, the EWC is the largest celebration of competitive gaming the world has ever seen.

At the heart of the EWC is its defining vision. As Ralf Reichert, CEO of the EWC Foundation, puts it in an exclusive interview with OneFootball, “EWC’s promise, why we exist, is to bring the best games, with the best players, to fight for life-changing prizes and crown the world's best club.” That promise comes to life through the EWC’s groundbreaking cross-title Club Championship format — a first-of-its-kind battle where the best esports organisations earn points across multiple games, with the top team winning the coveted title of Esports World Cup Club Champion.

EA FC Takes Centre Stage

Among the EWC’s flagship titles is EA SPORTS FC, the global leader in digital football. “EA FC, being the clear leader in digital football, is obviously a dream game for that promise,” says Reichert. “It has a special place because it connects the traditional sports world with the esports world.” With more than 25 years of history, EA FC has achieved something remarkable: “It rallied the whole digital football world around it,” says Reichert. “It has simulated the traditional sport and created a digital world for all of it, which is fantastic.”

This year, EWC 2025 will host the Pro World Championship for EA FC in Riyadh, solidifying what Reichert describes as “the partnership between the Esports World Cup and EA, to make this the most meaningful tournament that's out there — and a platform to grow that specific sport.”

A Movement Backed by History and Vision

Reichert’s personal journey in gaming — from growing up with an Atari to founding one of Germany’s earliest esports teams — mirrors the story of esports itself. “We founded a team called ‘Schroet Kommando’ in June 1997 with a clear agenda: becoming the best in Germany, then Europe,” he recalls. That path led him to co-found ESL and, eventually, lead the Esports World Cup Foundation, which is committed to building a sustainable, globally inclusive future for the sport.

“Nowadays, no kid in the world grows up without playing video games,” Reichert explains. “Everyone has a powerful console in their pocket called a mobile phone. So the access to esports has been dramatically increasing, and there's almost no barrier to entry — which is actually similar to football, and is part of the success.”

This connection to traditional sport runs deep in Reichert’s philosophy. “Football is based on people playing with a ball… Esports is exactly the same. People play a video game, create competition, and people start watching — it becomes a mass phenomenon.”

EWC 2025: Built for Players, Backed by Nations

This year’s Esports World Cup represents a new era for esports. For the first time, an entire country is embracing and backing the event at scale. “Historically, we’ve seen this with the Football World Cup, the Olympics… politically endorsed and supported events,” says Reichert. “The Esports World Cup is the first time that this happens at such a scale in esports.”

That support is crucial. In Saudi Arabia, where the EWC is held, “70% of the people identify themselves as gamers,” notes Reichert. “The target group itself is going to continue to grow over the next 10, 20, 30 years.”

Boulevard City in Riyadh has become the epicentre of this cultural phenomenon, hosting not just the EWC competition but an immersive festival of fandom — from retro arcades to anime cafés, cosplay, live music, and creator meet-ups. It’s a celebration of every corner of gaming culture.

Stars on the Stage — and in the Stands

The EWC isn’t just attracting fans — it’s attracting icons. “Cristiano Ronaldo being one of the ambassadors of the Esports World Cup — that's the ultimate example,” says Reichert. “He brings in a lot of eyeballs, a lot of credibility. And we couldn't be more proud.”

This intersection of traditional and digital sports is exactly what makes EWC unique. “There’s much more overlap between football players and esports athletes than anyone thinks,” Reichert adds. “Many players are amazing at the game, and fans of the game as well.”

Looking Ahead

EWC 2024 shattered records, with 500 million viewers and 2.6 million in-person visits. And Reichert is confident that “this year will only grow.” With 3 billion gamers around the world, and hundreds of millions more football fans, the potential audience is staggering.

Still, the heart of the event remains the same: the players. “We talk a lot about the clubs, the ecosystem and the game,” Reichert says, “but at the end of the day, it’s always about the players.”

And whether on the football pitch or in front of a screen, the lessons learned through sport endure. “The EQ, the resilience, the idea that you can't always win… that tomorrow’s a new game, a new chance — sport teaches you that very, very well. And esport is exactly the same.”

The Esports World Cup 2025 is not just a tournament. It’s the future of global sport — unified by technology, inspired by tradition, and driven by the passion of players and fans across the world.

📸 All imagery courtesy of EWCF