By Sagar V. Mankar 
Riot Games has announced a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup (EWC), bringing three of its major titles – League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT – to the prestigious tournament.
This strategic move marks VALORANT‘s debut in the EWC lineup, joining League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics which were already part of last year’s event.
As part of this agreement, limited advertisements for the EWC will appear during Riot’s global tournaments, starting with VALORANT’s Masters Bangkok. These promotions will include rotating logo placements during gameplay and video ads between matches, offering details about the upcoming EWC events.
According to Riot Games’ official statement, the decision to continue and expand their involvement with EWC was largely influenced by positive feedback from players and teams who participated in last year’s event. The significant prize pool provided crucial financial support for players and organizations during a period when many esports teams were working toward financial stability.
The addition of VALORANT to the lineup presented unique scheduling challenges, as noted by Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer at the Esports World Cup Foundation. The game’s packed competitive calendar through the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) required careful coordination to find suitable tournament dates. However, both organizations worked together to ensure the event would complement, rather than conflict with, the existing VCT structure.
The partnership hasn’t been without controversy. As reported by Esports Insider, some sections of the esports community have expressed concerns about the EWC’s backing by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, citing the country’s human rights record. This isn’t the first time Riot Games has faced such criticism – in 2020, they had to cancel a partnership between the LEC and Saudi Arabian project NEOM following community backlash.
Therefore, Riot Games has made participation in the EWC completely optional for teams, professionals, talent, and creators. They emphasized that this choice won’t affect their relationship with Riot or their role in official events, maintaining flexibility for all stakeholders.
The tournament format and prize pool details for all three games are yet to be announced, but they will be part of the larger EWC event featuring 23 tournaments across 22 games.
Riot Games now joins the Level Infinite, Chess.com, Call of Duty League, and SNK which has similar [3/+ years] agreements with EWCF for their respected esports.
The inaugural Esports World Cup in 2024 featured 22 tournaments across 21 games for a $60 million prize pool. The eight-week competition and festival attracted 500 million online viewers and saw 2.6 million attendees.