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Documents about World Cup
Riot Games Reveals Plans for Valorant Champions Tour in 2025
Riot Games has outlined its strategic roadmap for the 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT), focusing on global expansion, structural adjustments to the competitive ecosystem, and a refined tournament calendar.
- The 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) will feature three major global events: Masters in Bangkok (February), Masters in Toronto (June), and the season-ending Champions tournament in Paris.
- International league rosters will expand from 11 to 12 teams in 2025, with winning teams from the tier-2 Ascension circuit required to defend their spots at the end of the season.
- The 2025 season will run from January to October and introduce a new Championship Points system to determine qualification for the year-end Champions event.
FURIA Partners With Hellmann’s
The Brazilian esports organization FURIA has entered into a worldwide partnership with the Unilever-owned condiment brand Hellmann’s.
- Brazilian esports organization FURIA has entered into a worldwide partnership with the Unilever-owned mayonnaise brand Hellmann's.
- The partnership includes collaborative content creation, joint competitions, and exclusive marketing initiatives, featuring the tagline 'Hellmann’s: the irresistible flavor of FURIA.'
- Hellmann's branding debuted on FURIA’s uniforms during major events including IEM Cologne, the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL), and the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
New Global Sport Conference: Speaker Line-up 2024
The Esports World Cup Foundation has announced the speaker lineup for the second annual New Global Sport Conference, scheduled for August 24–25, 2024, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 New Global Sport Conference will take place over two days, featuring approximately 48 speakers from the esports, gaming, sports, entertainment, and finance sectors.
- The event coincides with the Esports Awards in Riyadh and is expected to provide updates on major Saudi-backed initiatives, including the Esports Olympic Games, the Qiddiya City Club Program, and the Esports World Cup Foundation Club Support Program.
- Confirmed participating organizations include major industry players such as the Saudi Esports Federation, Esports World Cup Foundation, ESL FACEIT Group, Savvy Games Group, Fnatic, T1, Gen.G, Team Liquid, and aXiomatic Gaming.
ESL FACEIT Group Signs Multi-Year Deal With Esports World Cup
The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to serve as the official operating partner for the Esports World Cup.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has signed a multi-year partnership to serve as the official operating partner for the Esports World Cup.
- Under the agreement, EFG will manage tournament operations and broadcast programming for the event starting in 2025.
- EFG is a subsidiary of Savvy Games Group, which is owned by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund, the same entity funding the non-profit Esports World Cup Foundation.
Guild Esports Exploring Options, Including a Possible Sale
Guild Esports, a publicly traded organization based in the United Kingdom, is currently navigating a severe liquidity crisis that has prompted a formal strategic review of its business operations.
- Guild Esports (LSE: GILD) is facing a severe liquidity crisis, reporting a cash position of only £25K ($32K USD) as of July 31, 2024.
- The organization faces £1.36M ($1.74M USD) in confirmed liabilities through September 2024, against £1.52M ($1.95M USD) in accounts receivable.
- The Board is actively exploring strategic alternatives, including asset sales, cost-cutting measures, additional fundraising, or a potential sale of the entire company.
Talon Esports Partners With Certified Saudi Arabia, XP.GG
Talon Esports, a global organization based in Hong Kong, has expanded its commercial footprint through two strategic partnerships aimed at enhancing brand visibility and digital engagement.
- Hong Kong-based Talon Esports has entered into a partnership with Saudi Arabian streetwear brand Certified Saudi Arabia to release a limited-edition apparel collection featuring the organizations' respective bird logos.
- The apparel collaboration, facilitated by Hawk Gaming Group, launches on July 29, 2024, to coincide with Talon Esports' participation in the World Cup in Riyadh, where they are competing in PUBG Mobile, Starcraft 2, and Rainbow 6 Siege.
- Talon Esports has also partnered with Melbourne-based Perion Labs to promote XP.GG, a blockchain-based gaming platform launching on August 1, 2024.
More Intel on the Esports World Cup and the Qiddiya City Club Program
The Esports World Cup and the associated Qiddiya City Club Program face significant operational and economic challenges that may impact their long-term sustainability.
- The Esports World Cup may scale back its scope in future years due to Saudi government budget constraints, economic indicators, and concerns regarding the nation's credit rating.
- Stipends provided to teams through the Esports World Cup Club Support Program are expected to be reduced or eliminated in the future, partly in response to organizations acting in bad faith by dropping rosters immediately after competitions.
- The Qiddiya Club Program faces skepticism from industry participants, as many organizations believe the high cost of operating in Riyadh makes the program a financial liability despite government subsidies for office space, housing, and broadband.
Mastercard Partners With the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup Foundation has secured a regional partnership with Mastercard for the inaugural Esports World Cup, a multi-week, multi-discipline tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- Mastercard has been named an official partner of the Esports World Cup, a multi-week competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, running from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- The partnership is regional in scope, specifically involving Mastercard’s division for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
- The Esports World Cup features a total prize pool of $60 million USD across a diverse lineup of 20+ game titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and League of Legends.
Heinz, Logitech G, and Secretlab Partner With Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup Foundation has secured partnerships with Heinz, Logitech G, and Secretlab, naming them official event suppliers for the multi-week tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- The Esports World Cup, a multi-week tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has signed Heinz, Logitech G, and Secretlab as official event suppliers.
- The event features a total prize pool of $60 million USD and runs from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- Logitech G will provide equipment from its PRO SERIES line for competitors and host an on-site booth for fan engagement.
Esports Charts Partners With Esports World Cup
Esports Charts has entered into a partnership with the Esports World Cup (EWC) to provide comprehensive viewership analytics for the 2024 competition.
- Esports Charts has partnered with the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024 to provide comprehensive viewership analytics for the multi-week competition.
- The Esports World Cup is a multi-discipline event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, running from July 3 to August 25, 2024, with an overall prize pool of $60 million USD.
- The event is funded by the Saudi Arabian government and facilitated by the ESL FACEIT Group, a subsidiary of the Saudi-owned Savvy Games Group.
The Esports World Cup’s Spectacular Opening Week
The inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh represents a significant shift in the global competitive gaming landscape, functioning as an Olympics-style, multi-genre tournament backed by a substantial $60 million prize pool.
- The Esports World Cup (EWC) generated 27 million hours watched and a peak viewership of 1.3 million during its first five days of competition.
- Co-streaming was a critical driver of engagement, accounting for exactly 50% (13.5 million hours) of the total viewership.
- League of Legends dominated the opening week with 11 million hours watched, significantly outperforming Call of Duty: Warzone, which generated 964,000 hours.
Eight Esports World Cup Sponsors Not Shown in Chinese Broadcasts
The Esports World Cup (EWC) experienced a significant loss in brand exposure during its July 2024 League of Legends competition, as eight major sponsors were excluded from Chinese broadcasts.
- Eight major Esports World Cup (EWC) sponsors—Brans, KitKat, LG UltraGear, Adidas, Qiddiya, Dr. Sulaiman AL Habib Medical Group, Pepsi, and Sony—were excluded from Chinese broadcasts of the League of Legends competition.
- The only sponsor featured during the Chinese League of Legends broadcasts was the Saudi Arabian telecommunications company STC Group.
- The omission of sponsor branding extended beyond China, with reports indicating that Vietnamese, French, and Arabic broadcasts also failed to display EWC sponsor logos.