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Documents about World Cup
Team Liquid Acquires Team Gullit
Team Liquid has officially acquired the Dutch EA FC esports organization Team Gullit, founded by Ruud Gullit and Schalk Stalman.
- Team Liquid has acquired the Dutch EA FC esports club Team Gullit, with the team officially transitioning to the Team Liquid brand.
- Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed by either organization.
- Team Gullit co-founder Corné Dubelaar will step down from daily operations of the EA FC team but will remain as an advisor to Team Liquid.
Electronic Arts FY25 Earnings Report
Electronic Arts’ fiscal year 2025 earnings report highlights a period of mixed performance across its gaming portfolio, characterized by strong growth in sports franchises and anticipated headwinds for its battle royale titles.
- Electronic Arts reported total net bookings of $7.37 billion for fiscal year 2025, slightly exceeding company expectations.
- EA projects a slight decline in net bookings for fiscal year 2026, driven by anticipated headwinds in the Apex Legends franchise and catalog titles.
- Apex Legends is expected to face an estimated 5-point decline in net bookings for fiscal year 2026 due to increased competition in the battle royale market.
China’s First Asian Champions League Signs Key Partners
Hero Esports, formerly known as VSPO, has secured a diverse roster of corporate partners for the inaugural Asian Champions League (ACL) and the concurrent DreamHack Shanghai event.
- Hero Esports is launching China’s first Asian Champions League (ACL), a multi-title tournament featuring a total prize pool of ¥15 million RMB ($2.04 million USD).
- The ACL will host competitions across nine titles: Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Teamfight Tactics, CrossFire, Honor of Kings, Delta Force, League of Legends, Valorant, and Street Fighter 6.
- The event will take place across three major Shanghai venues: the Shanghai SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, the Shanghai Jing’An Sports Center, and the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center.
Esports World Cup Foundation Launches the Music of EWC
The Esports World Cup Foundation has introduced the "Music of EWC," a strategic initiative designed to establish an original musical identity for the 2025 Esports World Cup.
- The Esports World Cup Foundation has launched 'Music of EWC,' an initiative to establish an original musical identity for the 2025 tournament through professional collaborations and community engagement.
- The Esports World Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over a seven-week period from July 7 to August 24.
- The foundation has partnered with Abbey Road Studios to record four initial tracks composed by 2WEI and Hollywood Scoring.
Why Is Cristiano Ronaldo in a Fighting Game?
The inclusion of professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character in the fighting game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves serves as a strategic manifestation of Saudi Arabia’s broader soft power initiatives.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s inclusion in 'Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves' is a strategic effort by Saudi Arabia to leverage his social media reach of over one billion followers to modernize the nation's international image.
- The integration is facilitated by Saudi Arabia’s near-total ownership of developer SNK, a process that began with a minority stake in 2017 and reached majority control by 2022.
- This partnership is part of the broader Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy, which aims to align the nation with the interests of its young domestic population.
Gen.G Launches Gen.G Collegiate Cup for Saudi Arabia and UAE
Gen.G Esports has launched the Gen.G Collegiate Cup, a new competitive initiative targeting university students across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- Gen.G has launched the Gen.G Collegiate Cup in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, featuring 300 students from 15 universities competing for an $11,000 prize pool.
- The tournament features competition in PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Valorant, with mobile events utilizing the HONOR Magic7 Pro.
- The initiative is part of Gen.G’s broader 'Road to Gen.G Collegiate Cup' program, which provides students with professional coaching, seminars, and industry education.
Esports World Cup Schedule Revealed
The Esports World Cup Foundation has released the official schedule for its 2025 multi-title competition, which is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 10 to August 24.
- The 2025 Esports World Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 10 to August 24, featuring a total prize pool of $70 million USD.
- The seven-week multi-title competition will be held across four arenas and culminate in the New Global Sport Conference for industry executives on August 23–24.
- Participating organizations will compete in various titles throughout the event to accumulate points for the overall Esports World Cup Club Championship.
Esports World Cup to Feature $70 Million Total Prize Pool
The Esports World Cup Foundation has announced a total prize pool exceeding $70 million for its 2025 event, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24.
- The 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will feature a total prize pool exceeding $70 million, running from July 7 to August 24.
- The prize distribution includes $38 million for individual game championships, $5 million for 'Road to EWC' qualifiers, and $450,000 for MVP awards.
- The event is funded by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund and operated by the ESL FACEIT Group, a subsidiary of Savvy Games Group.
StarCraft II Joins Esports World Cup and Exits ESL Pro Tour
The ESL FACEIT Group has announced the discontinuation of the StarCraft II ESL Pro Tour (EPT), a circuit that had been in operation since 2020.
- ESL FACEIT Group has officially discontinued the StarCraft II ESL Pro Tour (EPT) circuit, which had been active since 2020.
- StarCraft II will move to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the 2025 season as a featured title.
- ESL cited the increasing difficulty of securing long-term funding for a full-scale, year-round event circuit as the primary reason for ending the EPT.
Overwatch Champions Clash to Take Place in Hangzhou, China
The Overwatch Champions Clash is scheduled to take place from April 18–20, 2025, at the Hangzhou Esports Center in China.
- The Overwatch Champions Clash will take place at the Hangzhou Esports Center in China from April 18–20, 2025.
- The event is organized by Activision Blizzard and the ESL FACEIT Group in partnership with NetEase ThunderFire Studio.
- Eight teams qualified from the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Stage 1 will compete, including representatives from North America, EMEA, South Korea, and China.
G2 Esports Completes Series B Investment Round Led by Wise Ventures
G2 Esports has successfully closed a Series B investment round led by WISE Ventures, the investment arm of the Wilf family, who are the owners of the Minnesota Vikings and various professional soccer franchises.
- G2 Esports has completed a Series B investment round, securing a seven-figure sum led by WISE Ventures, the investment arm of the Wilf family (owners of the Minnesota Vikings).
- The funding round included participation from the Tornante Company, Gary Vaynerchuk, and G2’s internal leadership team.
- Existing investors, including Jens Hilgers (Bitkraft/ESL), Al Tylis, and Bluepool (owners of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty), also increased their financial stakes in the organization.
Street Fighter 6 Tournament Announced for the Hero Esports’ Asian Champions League
Hero Esports has officially confirmed that Street Fighter 6 will be a featured title at the upcoming Asian Champions League (ACL), scheduled for May 17–18, 2025, in Shanghai.
- Hero Esports will host a Street Fighter 6 tournament as part of the Asian Champions League (ACL) in Shanghai from May 17–18, 2025.
- The ACL Street Fighter 6 tournament features a $30,000 USD total prize pool and is open to all competitors with no entry requirements.
- The champion and runner-up of the ACL Street Fighter 6 event will secure direct qualification slots for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.