RIYADH: The Esports World Cup ended on Sunday听with a closing ceremony and the attendance of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 黑料社区鈥檚 crown prince and prime minister.
Over the course of eight consecutive weeks, the EWC hosted 1,500 athletes and over 200 clubs, with a record-breaking $60m prize pool up for grabs across 22 tournaments and 21 titles.听
The ceremony concluded the biggest weekend in esports history, which also featured the 2024 Esports Awards and 2024 New Global Sport Conference.
Reflecting on the event, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: 鈥淭he EWC has underscored the transformative impact of esports and the pivotal role that this incomparable industry now plays in cultures and societies all around the world 鈥 its inclusive and empowering nature is something truly unique.
鈥淔or eight successive weeks, this unparalleled event has brought the entire international gaming community together like never before, inviting all to participate in this milestone moment in gaming and esports history. We could not be more delighted with what鈥檚 transpired this summer; it鈥檚 a historic moment in time that 黑料社区 and the world will always remember fondly.鈥
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Alongside a series of live performances, the ceremony saw 黑料社区鈥檚 hometown heroes, Team Falcons officially crowned as the first-ever EWC Club Champions. Having stormed to victory in an exceptional campaign that included two tournament championships and six Top 3 finishes, Team Falcons鈥 chairman, Mossad 鈥淢sdossary鈥 Al-Dossary collected the $7mn first prize and EWC Club Championship trophy.
After the awards presentation, winning players throughout the EWC were also honored in the Celebration of Champions.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the EWC Foundation, called the tournament an 鈥渋ncredible success.鈥
The first-ever Esports World Cup has concluded after eight weeks of action in Riyadh. (Supplied)
鈥淭he EWC has been an incredible success in year one, driving global esports to new heights,鈥 he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of accomplishing what we set out to do 鈥 bringing together the best games, clubs, and players while offering a life-changing prize pool and building the world鈥檚 largest esports festival. Congratulations to Team Falcons, who were rewarded for their competitive excellence and investment across many new games by becoming the first EWC Club Champions. I can鈥檛 wait to gather the best of the industry again for another epic EWC in 2025.鈥
Throughout its duration from July 3 鈥 Aug. 25, the EWC drew 500 million viewers who consumed over 250 million hours of content. Additionally, it was confirmed that the event recorded its highest peak concurrent viewership during the League of Legends competition, when 3.5 million people watched legendary superstar Lee 鈥淔aker鈥 Sang-hyeok guide T1 to victory over Top Esports.
