Here is everything you need to know about how the Esports World Cup Club Championship works, as the teams will be competing for the $27 million prize pool.
How the Club Championship Works in the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is not just about the glory of the players in their respective game titles — it’s also a showdown between esports organizations. To further incentivize the importance of clubs and their efforts in competing at the EWC, the tournament organizers have created the Club Championship, rewarding the most consistent and dominant esports organizations in the multi-title event.
Aside from earning the prize pools from the individual tournaments, each team will earn Club Championship points based on their final position in each tournament they compete in. At the end of the EWC, the total amount of points will be added up to determine the overall Club Championship standings. The best team will be taking home a whopping $7 million, with the rest of the top 16 teams splitting the remaining $20 million.
How Does the Club Championship Work?
According to the rule book in the 2025 edition, each esports organization has to settle on their game titles eligible for the Club Championship by May 15.
This means that teams must lock in their participating squads and line up before the deadline. This prevents clubs from signing teams at the last minute after they qualified for the event.
Moreover, esports clubs are eligible to collect Club Championship points if they compete under the same name listed in the Club Championship, unless allowed on request. This ultimately prevents teams from creating co-branded teams, as happened last year on certain game titles, to leverage the added points. Temporary loans or other form of collaborations are also not allowed.
If an organization is represented by several participants in the same competition, the organization will only receive the highest points obtained by one of its participants.
Moreover, to be eligible for the Club Championship, a club needs to reach at least the top 8 in at least two different competitions and to win first place, it needs to end first in at least one game title.
Points Distribution
Points are distributed differently based on the importance of the game title and the number of teams participating. The full list will be updated once all titles have confirmed the points distribution.
The top-ending positions, however, have generally a much higher weight compared to the bottom ones. To make an example, the 2024 Esports World Cup LoL tournament gave champions T1 1000 points while the bottom four only received 60 (BLG, Gen.G, Fnatic, and FlyQuest) points. Paired with a second place in TFT, the team was able to earn 1600 points and place fifth at the end of the event, winning $1.25 million.
Why The Club Championship Matters
The Club Championship is a system designed to emphasize the organization structure and the overall efforts made by esports organization across different game titles. It’s not just about focusing on one team but it rewards those who are willing to invest resources on a broader portfolio of titles, supporting more talents across different genres and regions.
This also allows to create more narrative aside from the single lineups or players. Similar to traditional sports, it gives fans additioanl motive to follow various competitions if the club is competing, potentially opening up to new games and interactions. Check out the full 2025 EWC game schedule to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorite game’s action.
Esports World Cup Club Championship FAQ
What’s the total prize pool of the Esports World Cup Club Championship?
The total prize pool announced is $27 million, which is part of the record-breaking $70 million prize pool announced for the 2025 Esports World Cup.
How much does the first place in the Esports World Cup Club Championship win?
The winning team will win $7 million of the $27 million prizepool. The top 16 clubs will win a share of the remaining $20 million. Distributions are yet to be announced.
Who won the Club Championship in the EWC 2024?
Team Falcons emerged victorious, dominating the competition by winning a total of 5,665 points. Team Liquid came in second place and was followed by Team BDS, Team Vitality, and T1.
