eSports
Esports World Cup to Feature Record-breaking Prize Pool of More Than $70M for 2025 Event
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has announced a record-breaking $70+ million prize pool for the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC), the world’s largest esports event, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 through August 24. With the highest stakes in esports history, the $70+ million prize pool elevates EWC as one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and reinforces the EWCF’s long-term commitment to the sustainable growth of the esports industry. The total prize pool is a $10 million increase from last summer’s inaugural event, marking a significant step in the Esports World Cup Foundation’s mission to create life-changing opportunities and provide sustainable career paths for competitive players and multidisciplinary esports Clubs.
“The record-breaking $70+ million prize pool, along with our commitment to the Club Partner Program and our multi-year publisher agreements, is a privilege to announce and validation of our purpose to elevate the industry, by giving players, clubs, publishers and all other stakeholders the stability needed to invest for future success. While more than $70 million is an incredible, life-changing sum, it’s always aligned with a long-term vision rather than short-term impact. It’s not just to have more money at stake, but to create opportunities for everyone at every level of the ecosystem, and strengthen the industry for generations to come,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation.
With 25 tournaments in 24 games announced to date, including four new games—Chess, Crossfire, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves and VALORANT—EWC 2025 will bring together more than 2000 elite esports players and 200 top Clubs for the largest multi-game competition in history, with a life-changing prize pool rewarding more players and Clubs on the world’s biggest stage.
“Winning the Club Championship crown and $7 million at the inaugural Esports World Cup was a defining moment for Team Falcons. The opportunity to compete in front of our home fans, where they made the arenas shake with every great play, motivated us like never before, and it was an honor to secure the victory for them. We’ve used the momentum and winnings from last year to build on our success and we look forward to continuing that legacy this summer,” said Mosaad Al-Dossary, CEO of Team Falcons.
“Competing at the inaugural EWC contributed to one of the most successful competitive years in our 24-year history, securing a strong second-place finish in the EWC 2024 Club Championship. With our winnings, we expanded into new games like chess, strengthened our international presence in Southeast Asia, and supported philanthropic initiatives. The experience, momentum, and rosters we’ve built over the past year put us in the perfect position to claim the Championship crown at EWC 2025. We believe this to be our year,” said Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Team Liquid.
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Association of National Olympic Committees
Spectatr.ai Partners with ANOC, ISSA to Power Real-Time Highlights for Islamic Solidarity Games
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Spectatr.ai, a Sequoia-backed innovator in AI-powered sports technology, is partnering with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) to deliver real-time highlight clips during the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This collaboration aligns with the wider digital content partnership between ANOC and ISSA and will transform how the Games are experienced globally — bringing high-quality, real-time match, moment and daily highlights from more than 20 sports over 15 days to fans worldwide. This announcement follows news of the strategic partnership between Spectatr.ai and Triple B Media to empower sports organisations around the globe to improve the sports fan experience through the power of artificial intelligence.
Earlier this year, ANOC and ISSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the global visibility of the Islamic Solidarity Games, which will bring together more than 3500 athletes from 57 National Olympic Committees. Under the MoU, ANOC will broadcast the Games live via ANOC.tv, produce digital content through the ANOC.tv studio, and distribute highlights worldwide through the ANOC Digital Content Hub. Spectatr.ai’s technology will serve as the AI backbone of this initiative, ensuring every defining moment from decisive goals to emotional victories is captured and shared within seconds.
“Our collaboration with ANOC brings AI-powered storytelling to one of the world’s most unifying sporting events. We are honored to support Riyadh 2025 by showcasing every story, emotion and achievement as it happens — reaching fans everywhere in real time,” said Richa Singh, Co-Founder of Spectatr.ai.
Spectatr.ai will deploy its proprietary PULSE engine, an on-cloud, low-latency highlights system that identifies key moments such as goals, finishes, podiums and record-breaking performances. These clips will be enriched with metadata and instantly distributed to ANOC, ISSA and global partners. The system will generate both broadcast-ready and social-media-optimized formats, including vertical 9:16 videos for platforms such as Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
“This collaboration reflects ANOC’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the digital amplification of sport. By integrating real-time AI technology into the Islamic Solidarity Games, we are ensuring that every inspiring performance and emotional moment reaches fans around the world instantly,” said Gunilla Lindberg, secretary general of ANOC.
Through this partnership, each of the 57 participating NOCs will receive customised daily highlight packages, enabling equitable visibility for athletes and federations of all sizes. The system’s automated tagging and search functionality will make all footage easily discoverable, reusable and ready for archival and storytelling use.
The Games will feature traditional and emerging disciplines, including camel racing, duathlon and esports. The collaboration between Spectatr.ai, ANOC and ISSA aims to serve as a model for future multi-sport events — demonstrating how AI can drive real-time global engagement, operational efficiency and commercial value.
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eSports
Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Fortnite, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, UFL and More to Headline at the Games of the Future 2025
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Reinforcing the momentum of the latest evolution in gaming, Phygital International (PI), the exclusive rights holder and custodian of the Games of the Future (GOTF), announced the blockbuster titles that will be part of the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, 18-23 December.
Merging the speed and power of traditional sport with the skill and drama of esports, the Games of the Future 2025 will showcase the pinnacle of phygital competition. Athletes and fans will experience a unique format that blends real-world challenges with some of the world’s most iconic video games across 11 disciplines.
Counter-Strike 2 , the legendary tactical shooter, will anchor the Phygital Shooter competition, where players’ precision, strategy, and teamwork will be tested under intense pressure. A global icon of competitive gaming, Counter-Strike 2 will ignite the tournament’s digital stage with its signature intensity and legacy of fast-paced action. Alongside it, Dota 2, the iconic multiplayer online battle arena, will challenge teams in the MOBAPC competition, to demonstrate tactical mastery and resilience showcasing why it remains one of the most enduring and respected esports titles of all time.
The global sensation, Fortnite, with its vast global community and culture-defining impact, will headline the Battle Royale discipline. Its dynamic blend of survival and high-intensity action ensures that Battle Royale will deliver edge-of-the-seat drama, where only one club will be left standing taking the crown. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, one of the most storied franchises in fighting game history, will add a different kind of spectacle, combining precision, reflexes, and tactical prowess to determine the ultimate champion during the digital phase of the Phygital Fighting competition.
Alongside these flagship titles, this year’s Phygital Football competition at the Games of the Future, will feature the high-intensity, next-generation football title of UFL. Adding to the excitement, 3on3 Freestyle will headline the Phygital Basketball discipline, bringing its trademark street-style flair and fast-paced play to the tournament. Together, these dynamic disciplines will fuse virtual gameplay with real-world action, as athletes transition seamlessly between digital matches and on-field challenges, delivering a fast-paced showcase of skill, strategy, and teamwork that redefines competition in for a phygital era.
“Having these iconic titles at the Games of the Future 2025 marks a defining moment for both gaming and sport. This is where elite athleticism meets the creativity and energy of competitive gaming to create something truly extraordinary, demonstrating that phygital sport isn’t just the next chapter, it’s the future of global competition,” said Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International.
By combining some of the most iconic and globally recognized video games with the energy of live athletic challenges, GOTF 2025 will deliver an unparalleled sporting spectacle. Taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 18-23 December, the world’s leading phygital sports tournament will unite the world’s top phygital athletes for six days of competition, innovation, and entertainment. Alongside the tournaments, fans can expect immersive VR experiences, cutting-edge sports technology, cultural showcases, and interactive fan zones designed to celebrate the fusion of physical and digital worlds and create an unmissable experience.
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Baltics
DATA.BET Now Powers Esports for Entain NCE Across Baltics & Nordics
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DATA.BET, a leading sportsbook solution supplier, has signed a content deal with Entain NCE, to strengthen the esports betting offer of their brands (Optibet and Klondaika) across the Baltics and Nordics – with Estonia as a key rollout market.
Through the collaboration, Entain and its portfolio of brands will receive DATA.BET’s premium esports coverage. The package includes a comprehensive Odds Feed, Risk Management, Bet Builder and a suite of engagement Widgets – Pitch Tracker (interactive 2D map), Scoreboards (visual representation of player statistics), live Video Streaming, Statistical Widgets (team history and game stats) and a Multi Widget that unites all these tools within one screen. The partnership is designed to help Entain brands and their clients increase profitability in esports by combining precise pricing and risk controls with engagement tools that lift turnover and margin.
With the deal, Entain’s customers get access to DATA.BET’s 30+ disciplines and over 10,000 monthly events, delivered with a down-to-the-second bet delay across leading titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Valorant, League of Legends and others. A phased expansion of additional disciplines and features will follow to meet Entain’s demand.
“This partnership sets a high bar for product excellence. Our role is to power that ambition with an esports layer that’s rich in content and strong on risk, enabling consistent margins and a best-in-class customer experience. We’ve aligned on a clear roadmap to scale, with more Entain brands scheduled to join the rollout next,” said Otto Bonning, Head of Sales at DATA.BET.
“We are thrilled to partner with DATA.BET who are renown for being the leading Esports provider and who share the same passion and commitment for Esports as we do. DATA.BET’s deep understanding of the esports ecosystem and its growing influence among modern audiences makes the collaboration a perfect fit. Together, we aim to elevate esports and deliver the best experience and entertainment to the fans across Baltics and Nordics regions,” said Hendrik Ahuna, Director of Sportsbook at Entain NCE.
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