- 11:30
The world's largest esports competition has just come to an end. On Sunday, August 24, after seven weeks of fierce competition, the curtain fell on the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh. In an electric atmosphere, marked by the fervor of an audience from around the world, the Saudi club Team Falcons achieved the feat of retaining its title, winning the prestigious Club Championship for the second year in a row.
With this triumph, the Falcons take home a prize of $7 million and further cement their place in the history of the discipline. Their consistency and versatility enabled them to score the highest number of points among the 200 clubs competing. “Defending a title is often more difficult than winning it for the first time. This victory is a source of immense pride for us and our supporters,” said the team captain after the final.
An Extraordinary Competition
Behind this victory lies an event of unprecedented scale. Between July 7 and August 24, 2,000 players from more than 100 countries competed in 25 tournaments covering 24 different games, from League of Legends to Counter-Strike, as well as sports simulation, strategy and combat titles.
The innovation of the Esports World Cup lies in its unique format: the Club Championship. Unlike traditional competitions, clubs are not judged solely on a single game, but on their overall performance across several disciplines. Each victory and each successful run in a title earned points for the organization, creating a true interdisciplinary competition.
More Than a Tournament, a Global Festival
Beyond the sporting performances, the Riyadh event took on the appearance of a global gaming festival. The Boulevard City site was transformed into a huge playground for millions of fans who came to experience the event in person or online. Community tournaments, concerts, cosplay, themed cafés, retro arcades and spaces dedicated to content creators: the Esports World Cup offered a total immersion in contemporary gaming culture.
For many, the 2025 edition confirmed that esports is no longer a marginal discipline, but a global cultural phenomenon capable of uniting all generations. Entire families paraded through the aisles of Boulevard City, young enthusiasts had the opportunity to meet their idols and the world's most followed content creators interacted live with their communities.
A Career Dream
The human aspect is at the heart of this edition. For many young people, esports is much more than entertainment: it is a career dream, an opportunity to join a professional circuit that now rivals traditional sports in terms of visibility and prestige. By allowing fans to rub shoulders with the world's stars of the discipline, the event perfectly illustrates the ambition of the Esports World Cup Foundation: to grow esports in a sustainable way, provide a platform for emerging talent and establish the discipline as one of the most celebrated sports in the world.
Through this World Cup, Riyadh is also sending a strong signal: its ambition to become an international capital of sport and cultural innovation. By welcoming the global gaming community, the city is positioning itself at the crossroads of digital technology, entertainment and sport in a unique format that redefines competition in the 21st century.
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