By the looks of it, 2024 will be one of the most exciting years for every sports fan. Besides the upcoming EURO 2024 that every football enthusiast is waiting for, people will also get to watch the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But that’s not everything because 2024 will also give us access to the first-ever Esports World Cup.
According to www.cnwindpower.com, the 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC) will feature a total of 19 competitive games. What’s more, there will be a total of 20 tournaments across these games, meaning players can expect to find amazing options. “Most people do not know much about this event, but once they learn the details, they will be eager to see it. I have been involved in Esports for years, and I firmly believe this is going to be the biggest Esports event in history”, said Veselin from NB.
There is a lot to talk about when it comes down to the EWC. As mentioned, the competition will feature a total of 19 Esports titles, but this is just one of the many surprises. Let’s analyze everything you need to be aware of.
Background, Dates & More
The first thing we want to talk about regarding the 2024 Esports World Cup is the event’s background. If you did not know, this competition will occur in Saudi Arabia, the country that took over the esports industry. In the last couple of years, Saudi Arabia has invested millions of dollars and even has some of the best teams in Dota 2 and other sports.
The idea for the 2024 EWC came following the Gamers8 tournament that took place in 2023, which is a part of the so-called Saudi Arabia 2030 vision. The latter is a special plan from the country’s leader whose goal is to change the country’s economy so that it does not rely only on petrol.
Back to the 2024 Esports World Cup, the latter will be the successor of Gamers8. Initially, there were going to be only a few titles, but the organizers decided to add a lot more. Consequently, we will have 19 different Esports and loads of tournaments.
As for the events themselves, the 2024 Esports World Cup will take place between July 4 and August 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The venue will be close to 59K square meters and contain 4 different Esports arenas. Needless to say, this makes it one of the biggest venues we have seen.
In total, the EWC will have a prize pool of $60M+, making the Esports tournament with the largest prize pool in history.
Esports titles and Prize Pool
Now that we know more about the event, the 2024 Esports World Cup review will continue with the different titles. Considering the scale of the competition, it’s no surprise that we will see every major Esports in the world. In fact, here is a complete list of all available titles:
- Garena Free Fire
- Fortnite
- EA Sports FC 24
- Dota 2
- Overwatch 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Men and Women)
- Counter-Strike 2
- Apex Legends
- Honor of Kings
- PUBG: Mobile
- Rocket League
- Rennsport
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Rainbow Six Siege
- StarCraft II
- Teamfight Tactics
- Street Fighter 6
- Tekken 8
Something that we were really impressed with is the fact that the 2024 Esports World Cup will feature both mobile and desktop Esports. In fact, this will be among the first big events of its kind, making it even more interesting to watch and follow.
We are yet to learn about the specifics regarding the tournaments for each game, but we expect them to be similar to what we’ve seen so far. In Dota 2, for example, we will most likely have a Group Stage followed by Upper and Lower brackets.
As for the prize pool, we have mentioned that $60M+ is the highest it has ever been. What’s interesting is that it will be divided into 4 main categories as follows:
| MVP Awards | $1.1M |
| Qualifiers | $7.6M |
| Club Championship | $20M |
| Game Championships | $33M+ |
From what we know, the MVP of each event will receive $50K. This adds even more excitement to this tournament because people will be eager to show what they’re capable of.
Which teams to keep an eye on?
Considering the scale of the 2024 Esports World Cup, it is no surprise that all of the world’s best teams will be a part of it. Even though the organizers have not confirmed all of the participants yet, our experience tells us that we will see many familiar faces.
Starting with Team Spirit, the latter is among the best Dota 2 and CS2 organizations right now, so we expect to see them in action. Let’s also not forget that Team Spirit won the Gamers8 tournament, which, as mentioned, is the predecessor of the 2024 EWC.
Another team that we expect to see is Team Vitality. The CS2 powerhouse has been really good so far and will be among the most interesting squads at this event. While on the topic of CS2, we will also see Na’Vi, FaZe, MOUZ, G2, and Virtus.Pro.
Last but definitely not least, we will have all top representatives from the MENA region. The latter is home to several top-tier teams and players, such as Team Falcons. This squad took over the professional Dota 2 scene after winning all of the big tournaments that took place in the last couple of months.
2024 Esports World Cup Controversies
Due to the size of this tournament, it is no surprise that the 2024 Esports World Cup has sparked some controversies in the last couple of months. The main one is related to the fact that it will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Even though the country has become one of the leaders in global sports and Esports, a lot of people are questioning its human rights records. In fact, one of the teams that were supposed to take part in the competition announced that it would not be playing. The esports organization Ex Oblivione said it does not want to be a part of the 2024 EWC because not all of its fans will get the opportunity to support them.
Speaking of controversies, we also need to mention League of Legends, one of the biggest esports titles. Although a lot of people from the community are hyped about the 2024 Esports World Cup, some have mixed feelings. According to a lot of people, the addition of “Saudi money” can disrupt the industry by inflating the prices of salaries, events, as well as everything that goes along with them.
2024 Esports World Cup Betting
Another important factor we must consider when talking about the 2024 Esports World Cup is betting. Wagering on esports is nothing new, and many websites offer it, but we expect to see a lot more options for this tournament.
We have reviewed all of the top-tier esports bookmakers, and all of them will give you access to the EWC 2024. In fact, you can even expect to find different kinds of bonuses, as well as unique perks.
Something to keep in mind when looking for a bookmaker to wager on the Esports World Cup 2024 is the features. Ideally, you should find a betting brand that will let you wager on live events. Also, the site needs to have live streaming because this will let you follow the games in real-time. Some of the best esports bookmakers will also give you access to Cash Out, Bet Builder, and several other features you can implement.
Going back to the bonuses, a lot of the good Esports betting operators also have various promotions. While we expect them to work for this event, we also think there will be at least a few other short-term alternatives. In other words, expect to find no deposit bonuses, odds boosts, Accumulator perks, and much more.
Something you should be careful of when betting on the 2024 Esports World Cup is not to find yourself using a fake online bookmaker. Due to the event’s size, we expect to see a lot of scam attempts. Some of the Esports titles we’ll see are not that popular among most bookmakers yet, so there will be people who will try to take advantage of the situation.
My final verdict
There is no arguing that the 2024 Esports World Cup will be the biggest tournament we will see in 2024. Despite the controversies about the “Saudi money” and everything else mentioned so far, this event will be epic. We expect to see all of the big teams and players, as well as some of the best casters and analyzers.
Considering that the tournament starts a few months from now, there might be changes in the live-streaming format and channel. With that said, we are certain that the 2024 Esports World Cup will be broadcast live on Twitch and YouTube, so make sure to follow them.
