Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh: Post Malone, prize pool, tickets and more

Esports World Cup is set to be held in Riyadh this year for the second consecutive year. Scheduled to run from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the tournament will take place at the newly built SEF Arena in Boulevard City which sprawls across 34,000 square metres and features five halls, including a central arena that can accommodate 2,200 spectators.

Esports World Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 8 to August 24

It was recently revealed that rapper Post Malone will headline the opening ceremony on July 10. Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the tournament’s global ambassador for 2025. The EWC Foundation has also secured major deals, including a long-term partnership with Riot Games covering League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics through 2027. Chess.com has been confirmed as the official platform for the tournament’s chess competitions.

This year’s Esports World Cup features an unprecedented $70 million prize pool, which is the largest in the history of esports (last year’s pool came up to $62.5 million). The 2025 edition will feature 25 tournaments across 24 titles, spanning genres like shooters, strategy, sports, fighting, and mobile games.

New additions include blitz-format chess, with grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura expected to compete, along with Valorant, Crossfire, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Some of the favourites include Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, PUBG Mobile, Battlegrounds Mobile India, Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6, EA Sports FC 25 and Street Fighter 6.

The event will conclude with the New Global Sport Conference on August 23–24, bringing together leaders from gaming, sports, tech, and media for networking and industry dialogue.

Tickets are now on sale and weekly passes start at 999 SAR (approximately $266), with daily ticket prices to be announced closer to the event's launch.