Key Takeaways
- The Esports World Championship 2025 has a total prize pool of over $70 million.
- The top club is set to take home a grand prize of $7 million.
- It’s the second-ever EWC tournament.
The Esports World Championship (EWC) 2025 is off to a flying start as teams will compete across major titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Street Fighter 6, and more for a slice of the $70 million prize pool and the $7 million grand prize for the EWC Club Champions.
Let’s take a look at some of the top performers for a few major titles being played at EWC this year.
The Big 3
The esports industry was built on the shoulders of giants, and these four games draw the biggest crowds and some of the largest prize pools.
Dota 2
Running July 8-19 with a $3 million prize pool, Dota 2’s group-to-playoff will see defending champions, Gaimin Gladiators, advancing undefeated early.
Team Falcons are sturdy challengers thanks to their dominance in the qualifiers. BB Team and Team Spirit have performed well in groups, scene veterans Tundra Esports and Team Liquid are also ones to watch.
League of Legends
Scheduled for July 16-20, the League of Legends (LoL) carries an over $1 million prize pool. Top teams from the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) will start strong in the playoffs.
T1 , 2024’s defending champs, is a favorite and is shooting for another victory. Gen.G is a standout known for their precise and intelligent plays, but could come up against resistance with Bilibili Gaming and JD Gaming, who are known for bold and aggressive strategies.
Ones to watch also include FNATIC and EMEA, whose strategies may cause upsets in the group stages.
StarCraft II
Taking place between July 22-25 with a $700,000 prize pool, StarCraft 2 will have elite teams in bracket play.
Clem will be back to defend his 2024 title against the likes of Serral (team Vitality), who is likely to dominate Zerg matchups with unreal macro mastery following ESL Pro Tour (EPT) wins. Maru’s (DKZ) Terran aggression has proven favorable, but Clem’s (Liquid) precision and beloved macros place him in top billing.
Other notable contenders include Dark DKZ and her0 (Weibo), global rankers who may perform well in the qualifiers.
Modern Shooters
First-person shooters (FPS) and battle-royale titles will be huge draws this year.
Counter-Strike 2
A gigantic $1.25 million prize pool is on offer for 16 competing Counter-Strike 2 teams from August 21-24.
FaZe Clan and Team Liquid are expected to be front-runners, but Team Vitality could pose a tough challenge in the group stages, given their current top ranking in the Club Championship and ranked number 1 globally.
The world’s number 2 and 3 teams, Spirit and Mouz, will also be in attendance, which, depending on groupings, could see some exciting and difficult early-stage matchups.
PUBG
PUBG Battlegrounds events will run from August 12-16, with a gigantic $2 million prize pool for its 24 competing teams.
After taking first at the EWC 2024, former champions Soniqs will not be returning for the 2025 season, opening up the tournament to several top-performing teams such as Twisted Minds and Team Falcons.
Overwatch 2
From July 31 to Aug 3, the Overwatch Champions Series has 16 clubs competing for its $1 million prize pool.
Top teams such as South Korea’s T1 will provide stiff competition, as will Team Liquid and Crazy Racooon. Others, such as Twisted Minds and Weibo were top regional qualifiers, which could see some fresh talent take over in 2025.
Valorant
Running between July 8-13, Valorant has 16 participating clubs and a $750,000 prize pool.
The quarter finals are currently underway with Paper Rex leading Sentinel by 1-0, and Fnatic currently beating out Karmine Corp 1-0. The undefeated Paper Rex are favourites, as are Gen.G who are set to go up against NRG.
Brawlers
Street Fighter 6
A gigantic 48 players are competing for the $1 million prize pool for Street Fighter 6, between August 20-23.
Participants are a mix of solo players and members from established teams.
Reigning champion, KSG’s Xiaohai will be returning to defend his EWC 2024 title against the likes of EndingWalker, Higuchi, Moke.
Other top-tier fighters such as Higuchi, Mole, and EVO Japan legends Ryukichi and MenaRD are ones to keep an eye on.
Tekken 8
A sizeable 32 players will head to the ring in Tekken 8 to compete for its $1 million prize pool from Aug 13 to Aug 16.
EWC 2024 defender Ulsan will be in attendance to defend his title against major competitors like ATIF, and EVO Japan veterans Mangja, Knee, and Mulgold.
Eddie is a gaming and crypto writer at CCN. Covering the often weird and wonderful world of Web3 with an adoring, but skeptical eye.
Prior to CCN, Eddie has spent the past seven years working his way through the crypto, finance, and technology industry. He began with PR and journalism with Bitcoin PR Buzz and BitcoinNews.com, eventually working his way to become a copywriter with a dozen firms, including the likes of Polkadot before returning to journalism in 2023.
Having studied Radio production and journalism at University in the UK, Eddie spent a few years making podcasts and presenting on a local London radio station as he built up his writing chops.
A lifelong skateboarder, Eddie can often be found at the skatepark or touring the streets looking for something new to try. That, or kicking back playing JRPGs on his original PSP.
