![\"The](\"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/swamiji\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6-2-1024x576.jpg\")
EWC 2024 Was Just the Start, and Saudi Stole the Show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Last year, the numbers went through the roof. In excess of 500 million viewers tuned in online, with over 2.6 million fans showing up in person in Riyadh. These statistics made EWC 2024 the most-watched esports event of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Saudi Arabia\u2019s presence? Team Falcons, based in Riyadh, ended up as the top-scoring team of the whole tournament. They even won the $7 million Club Championship, handed over by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself. This wasn\u2019t just about a trophy. This was about showing the world: We\u2019re here to lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not a hype-generated investment. It’s all part of the kingdom’s larger Vision 2030 strategy. Saudi Arabia, by its Savvy Games Group (also PIF-owned), invested close to USD 38 billion into gaming and esports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s what the Vision entails:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saudi Arabia isn\u2019t just putting on flashy events and calling it a day. Behind the scenes, it\u2019s building long-term systems\u2014like the $20 million Club Support Program<\/strong>, which helps teams grow sustainably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the EWCF CEO pointed out, this isn\u2019t about short bursts of hype. It\u2019s about lasting impact. The goal is to build something that survives beyond the headlines\u2014a real, stable ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Entertaining Party Fun as never before The Numbers? Insane Big Bucks, Big Time Assisting the Clubs As Well The publishers are all in. Sure, maybe a Saudi team doesn\u2019t end up lifting the biggest trophy. But truth is, Saudi Arabia\u2019s already won in a much bigger way. They\u2019ve somehow, pretty quickly, turned Riyadh into the place for esports. Like, it actually happened faster than most people thought possible. According to what the Crown Prince had said, the goal behind all this was to turn the passion of the younger generation into something real, something industry-grade. And yeah, that vision is kinda happening right in front of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They won\u2019t win every match, sure. But if we\u2019re talking about the larger competition, about who\u2019s creating the most momentum in esports, then Saudi Arabia is already out front, and they\u2019re not slowing down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hosting the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC 2025) in Riyadh tourism did not come as a coincidence in Saudi Arabia. Funded by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), which in turn is backed by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF), EWC 2025 boasts a staggering prize pool of over $70 million\u2014the largest in esports history.. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-esports","category-others"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"EWC](\"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/swamiji\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1-3-1024x576.jpg\")
Saudi Arabia\u2019s Bigger Goal, Vision 2030 Through Esports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Saudi](\"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/swamiji\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3-2-1024x576.jpg\")
The Support Behind It All<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/swamiji\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/4-2-1024x576.jpg\")
What\u2019s So Different About Saudi Arabia\u2019s Esports Game Plan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>EWC 2025 is more than just another esports tournament. The atmosphere, the scale, the prize pool\u2014everything is designed to wow. But it\u2019s not just money being thrown around aimlessly. There\u2019s strategy behind the spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>The precedent was 2024 when the EWC brought in online viewers of more than 500 million. And two point six million individuals did go there like physically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>The Public Investment Fund and Savvy Games Group of Saudi Arabia have already injected in like $38 billion into the video gaming market. That is not a small amount, really!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>It is not only all about the players. There is this $ 20 million club support program that makes sure that groups of teams are becoming big and staying powerful rather than individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Saudi Arabia does not take a safe bet with one or two partners in mind. They made deals in progress with such giants as Activision, Riot, Capcom, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo, Who Wins EWC 2025?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"So,](\"https:\/\/app.zecureos.in\/swamiji\/swamiji\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5-2-1024x576.jpg\")