For the second consecutive year, Riyadh is playing host to the Esports World Cup (EWC), a global gaming extravaganza. This event sees gamers from all corners of the globe competing in over 20 different disciplines, including the ever-popular Counter-Strike 2. The 2025 edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place between August 20 and 24.
Betting agencies are gearing up to cover the tournament, with odds being offered on individual matches and overall outcomes. Those wishing to place a wager can do so, potentially utilizing bonuses to their advantage. For instance, the website Legalbet.ru provides promotional codes for the BetBoom betting company - if a player activates these codes, they can access free bets.
Let's delve deeper into the world championship of Counter-Strike 2.
EWC 2025: Format, Participants, and Prizes – What You Need to Know
The 2025 EWC format has undergone a change compared to the previous year. Instead of having three stages as in the past, there will now be only one. The tournament will kick off with the playoff round (starting from the round of 16), and there will be no second chances for teams that lose.
All matches will follow the best-of-three format (first to win two maps). Another novel addition is the third-place playoff. This has been introduced by the organizers as participants now earn not only prize money, but also ranking points depending on their final positions.
The EWC boasts a prize pool of 1.25 million dollars. The champion will pocket a cool half a million dollars, the runner-up will walk away with 230,000 dollars, and the third-place finisher will receive 130,000 dollars.
A total of 16 teams have been invited to the tournament, including big names like Vitality, MOUZ, Spirit, The MongolZ, Aurora, Natus Vincere, Falcons, FaZe, G2, Astralis, Virtus.pro, GamerLegion, 3DMAX, Liquid, HEROIC, and TYLOO.
CS2 World Championship Favorites
While the betting agencies are yet to reveal their odds, esports experts have already earmarked potential contenders for the trophy:
