Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced that 30 esports clubs from across the globe have been accepted into its debut EWCF Club Support Program.
The full lineup of Clubs includes 100 Thieves, Blacklist International, Cloud9, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Furia Esports, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G Esports, Guild Esports, Karmine Corp, KOI, LGD Gaming, LOUD, OG, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, NRG Esports, Spacestation Gaming, T1, Talon Esports, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Team Vitality, TSM, Tundra Esports, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro and Weibo Gaming.
The EWCF Club Support Program is a pioneering initiative designed to promote the creation of sustainable infrastructure for multidisciplinary esports Clubs. Furthermore, the program empowers esports Clubs to expand their investment across more games, providing impactful career opportunities and competitive support to athletes around the world.
As members of the EWCF Club Support Program, these esports organizations can receive six-figure funding to enter into new esports titles at the highest level, diversifying their competitive footprint and providing more opportunities for esports athletes. The funding has already enabled esports Clubs to:
- Re-enter esports titles in which they previous established long histories of involvement, and enter new gaming genres with strong grassroots resonance
- Expand into new international markets by signing athletes and rosters outside their home region, fueling stronger global esports infrastructure
- Create novel content verticals to engage fans with compelling athlete narratives, along with hiring the staff needed to support those efforts
In response to the significant interest in the Program from Clubs all over the world, the Program increased the number of available slots from 28 to 30. Of the 30 Clubs, eight were selected through an open application period in February 2024, during which the EWC Foundation received more than 150 applications. Applications were judged on three core criteria: a Club’s esports pedigree, its forward-looking competitive strategy and goals, and its creative approach to content and fan engagement. The 30 Clubs hail from five major esports regions — Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Middle East — making the EWCF Club Support Program a truly global endeavour.
“The Club Support Program is critical to the EWC Foundation’s vision of building a stronger esports ecosystem and elevating esports as global sports,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Because we received so many high quality applications, we expanded our original allocation of 28 Club Support Program slots to 30, a testament to the strength of our program as it supports some of the world’s best esports Clubs. I’m excited to cheer on these Clubs as they work to qualify for the Esports World Cup and its life-changing prize pool of more than $60 million.”
A Club’s acceptance into the EWC Club Support Program does not guarantee their participation at the Esports World Cup. All Clubs and athletes must seek to qualify on their own merits for each title. The prize pools in each Game Championship, along with the cross-game EWC Club Championship, are available to all EWC competitors. Regardless of their qualification to the Esports World Cup, all members of the EWC Club Support Program will be eligible for annual financial rewards based on their ability to drive viewership and fan engagement to the EWC.
The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award a total of $20 million to the top 16 Clubs based on their cross-game performance. At the event’s conclusion, the Club with the best performance across various game championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion. Additionally, each of the 20 Game Championships will have their own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million. A standout participant in each competition will receive a $50,000 MVP Award.
