The 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC) is the first edition of the Esports World Cup, an annual international esports tournament series replacing Gamers8, run by the Esports World Cup Foundation, which is funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 4 to August 25, 2024, and will feature at least 20 events in 19 different video game titles. It will have the largest combined prize pool in esports history at over US$60 million, encompassing individual tournament prize pools, rewards for teams that qualify to EWC events, most valuable player awards, and the Club Championship, a cross-game competition that aggregates the individual game results of all participating organizations (known as "clubs" to the EWC) to crown a Club Champion.

The Esports World Cup, as well as the preceding Gamers8 festival, has been criticized by some as being used as a sportswashing tool by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to distract the esports community from its numerous human rights abuses, as well as the country's stance on LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and its handling of dissent. Teams have opted not to participate at the Esports World Cup due to fears over the safety of their fans should they travel to Riyadh.

In October 2023, Saudi Arabia announced the inaugural Esports World Cup as the successor of Gamers8, the Saudi Esports Federation's previously existing esports festival, set to take place in Riyadh.^[1] The event was developed as a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, a plan led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at diversifying the country's economy and reducing reliance on oil.^[2]

The initial five game titles were announced on February 20, 2024, with additional events being added over the course of the next few months; the final 19th video game title was added on April 12.^[3][4] The events will take place in a 645,000 square foot (59,900 m²) venue that features four separate esports arenas.^[5]

The Esports World Cup will encompass at least 20 tournaments across its 19 competitive titles. Each tournament will adhere to its own unique format and rules, contributing to a larger competition known as the Club Championship.^[6]

The announcement of the 2024 Esports World Cup was met with a mixed response due to concerns over Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the tournament's use for sportswashing. Saudi Arabia's significant investment in the esports scene, amounting to billions of dollars, has led to a rapid expansion of the industry within the country. However, these developments have occurred against a backdrop of ongoing international scrutiny regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record, particularly concerning LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and its handling of dissent.^[12]

In March 2024, esports organization Ex Oblivione announced their decision not to participate in the Overwatch 2 competition at the 2024 Esports World Cup. The team expressed concerns about the lack of necessary accessibility for all members of their community and the potential exclusion of their fans from participating in the event alongside them. This decision received a mixed response from their followers and the community, with some expressing support for their stance while others criticized the organization.^[13]

The 2024 Esports World Cup will have a prize pool of over US$60 million, the largest combined prize pool in esports history. The prize money will be broken down into four categories: Club Championship, Game Championships, Qualifiers, and MVP Awards. The Club Championship will award $20 million to the top 16 teams based on their overall performance, while each of the 20 Game Championships will have a combined prize pool of over $33 million. Teams will compete for more than $7 million during qualifying events, and the MVP of each event will be awarded $50,000.^[6]