By Sagar V. Mankar The Esports World Cup 2024 has kicked off with a bang, marking the biggest esports tournament to date.
With 19 titles in 22 tournaments, it’s an event packed with excitement, competition, and groundbreaking performances.
Held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, this event promises to be a landmark in esports history with a combined prize pool exceeding $60 million.
What Happened in Week 1?
Week 1 of the Esports World Cup 2024, running from July 3 to July 7, featured the conclusion of two major tournaments: Call of Duty: Warzone and League of Legends.
Meanwhile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Dota 2 saw the end of their initial stages, setting the stage for thrilling playoffs and group stages in the upcoming weeks.
Call of Duty: Warzone – Home Team Falcons Dominated
Call of Duty: Warzone was the first tournament to wrap up, concluding on July 6.
This event featured 21 of the world’s top Call of Duty teams, each vying for a share of the $1 million prize pool and valuable Club Championship points.
Saudi Arabia’s home team, the Falcons, emerged victorious, earning the highest number of EWC Club Championship points (1000) and taking home $200,000.
Key Highlights and Standings:
- Team Falcons: $200,000 and 1,000 points
- Fnatic: $150,000 and 600 points
- Twisted Minds: $100,000 and 350 points
- Guild Esports: $80,000 and 200 points
- Natus Vincere: $60,000 and 110 points
- SvGe Esports: $50,000 and 70 points
- New Icons: $45,000 and 40 points
- Singapore Syndicate: $40,000 and 20 points
The MVP title went to Shifty from Team Falcons, adding an extra $50,000 to his earnings.
The tournament was a visual spectacle, drawing over 135,000 peak viewers and averaging 76,180 viewers over 19.5 hours of airtime.
League of Legends – Korean Powerhouse T1 Lifted the Trophy
Next up was League of Legends, concluding on July 7.
T1, led by the legendary Faker, dominated the tournament, taking home $400,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points. This win solidified their status as one of the top teams in the esports world.
Key Highlights and Standings:
- T1: $400,000 and 1,000 points
- Top Esports: $200,000 and 600 points
- Team Liquid: $100,000
- G2 Esports: $100,000
- Bilibili Gaming: $50,000
- Fnatic: $50,000
- Gen.G Esports: $50,000
- FlyQuest: $50,000
Faker’s performance earned him the MVP award and an additional $50,000, further cementing his legacy in the esports community.
The event drew a record-breaking 1.11 million peak viewership, making it the third most-watched LoL event of 2024.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Who Advanced to Playoffs?
Week 1 we saw the beginning of the Group Stage for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid-Season Cup, starting on July 3.
This stage featured 16 teams assigned into four groups, competing in a single round-robin format. Each match was conducted as a Best of 2 (Bo2).
The top two teams from each group advanced to the Knockout Stage (Playoffs) while the bottom two teams got eliminated.
Results:
Teams Advancing to Playoffs:
- NIP Flash
- Fire Flux Esports
- Selangor Red Giants
- See You Soon
- Liquid Echo
- HomeBois
- Falcons AP.Bren
- Falcon Esports
Teams Eliminated in Group Stage
- EVOS Glory
- RRQ Akira
- Fnatic ONIC
- Team Falcons
- Team Spirit
- Twisted Minds
- Cloud9
- Xianyou Gaming
The MLBB tournament will continue into Week 2 with the Playoffs stage from July 10 to July 14.
This stage will follow a single elimination bracket format, with all matches being Best of 5 (Bo5) until the Grand Final, which will be Best of 7 (Bo7).
The stakes are high, with the remaining teams competing for the top spot and a share of the $3 million prize pool.
DOTA 2 – Who Advanced to Group Stage?
The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters tournament is one of the biggest tournaments of the Esports World Cup, featuring a massive $5 million prize pool.
The tournament kicked off on July 4 and will run until July 21.
In Week 1 of the tournament, we saw the Play-In Stage where 12 teams divided into two groups of six.
These teams battled it out in a single round-robin format, with all matches being Best of 2 (Bo2).
The top 4 teams from each group advanced to the group stage while the bottom 2 got eliminated.
From the Play-In Stage, the following teams advanced to the Group Stage:
- Entity
- MOUZ
- PSG Quest
- LGD Gaming
- Aurora
- Blacklist International
- HEROIC
- Beastcoast
Teams Eliminated in Play-In Stage
- Azure Ray
- G2.iG
- Virtus.Pro
- Nouns
The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters tournament will continue into Week 2 with the Group Stage from July 10 to July 14.
8 qualified teams will join the 8 invited teams:
- Falcons
- BetBoom
- Gaimin Gladiators
- WBG.XG
- Tundra
- Liquid
- OG
- Spirit
All Teams will be divided into two groups of eight, playing in a single round-robin format with Best of 2 (Bo2) matches.
The top 4 teams from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the Playoffs, while the 5th and 6th place teams will advance to the lower bracket. The remaining teams will be eliminated.
The Group Stage is setting the stage for the double-elimination Playoffs starting on July 16 and culminating in the Grand Final on July 21.
What’s in Store for Week 2?
As we head into Week 2 (July 10-14), here’s what to watch out for:
- The continuation of the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters group stage.
- The Finale of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup.
- The start of the Free Fire tournament.
Stay tuned as we bring you more updates and results from the Esports World Cup 2024.
For more information, visit the official Esports World Cup website. And remember to subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more news!