The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, a premier global multi-esports event, has brought intense League of Legends action to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Marking its second consecutive season as a featured title, the League of Legends tournament at EWC 2025, while officially sanctioned by Riot Games, is independently organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation, ESL FACEIT Group, and Hero Esports. The competition, held at the state-of-the-art STC Esports Arena, ran from July 16 to July 20, 2025, culminating in a thrilling grand final.
The tournament boasted a substantial prize pool of $2,000,000 USD, distributed among the top-performing teams. The format was designed to challenge the world’s best, featuring a total of 12 elite teams. Four teams—Gen.G, T1, AG.AL, and Bilibili Gaming—secured direct berths into the Playoffs based on their stellar performances at MSI 2025 or as the reigning EWC champion. The remaining eight teams battled through a rigorous Group Stage to earn their spots in the knockout phase.
The Group Stage, held on July 16 and 17, saw eight teams divided into two double-elimination (GSL) groups. All matches in this phase were Best-of-One (Bo1), emphasizing quick adaptation and decisive play. Group A featured FlyQuest, Cloud9, FURIA, and G2 Esports. From this group, G2 Esports advanced with an impressive 2-0 record, while FlyQuest secured the second spot with a 2-1 record. In Group B, Hanwha Life Esports dominated with a 2-0 record, and Movistar KOI claimed the second playoff spot with a 2-1 record, overcoming CTBC Flying Oyster and GAM Esports (Source 6, Source 10).
The Playoffs, which commenced on July 17 and concluded on July 20, featured a single-elimination bracket. Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Third-Place matches were Best-of-Three (Bo3), while the Grand Final was a Best-of-Five (Bo5) series. All playoff matches utilized the strategic Fearless Draft system, adding another layer of complexity to team compositions. The tournament was played on Patch 25.13 (Source 1).
The Quarterfinals delivered intense matchups:
- Gen.G defeated FlyQuest 2-0
- G2 Esports triumphed over Bilibili Gaming 2-1
- AG.AL secured a 2-1 victory against Hanwha Life Esports
- T1 edged out Movistar KOI 2-1
Moving into the Semifinals, the competition intensified:
- Gen.G continued their dominant run, defeating G2 Esports 2-1
- AG.AL delivered a decisive 2-0 victory over T1
The Third-Place Match saw T1 defeat G2 Esports 2-0, securing the bronze medal and a $230,000 prize. The Grand Final, a highly anticipated clash between Gen.G and AG.AL, was scheduled for July 20, 2025, to determine the ultimate champion of the League of Legends EWC 2025 (Source 1, Source 6).
The prize pool distribution saw the champion taking home $600,000 and 1000 EWC Club Points, while the runner-up received $320,000 and 750 points. Third place earned $230,000 and 500 points, and fourth place secured $160,000 and 300 points. Teams placing 5th-8th each received $110,000 and 200 points, with 9th-10th place teams earning $75,000 and 11th-12th place teams receiving $50,000 (Source 6).
Fans worldwide could follow all the action live on the Esports World Cup’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, alongside various regional broadcast partners, ensuring comprehensive coverage of this major esports event (Source 4, Source 8, Source 9). The EWC 2025 continues to solidify its position as a pivotal tournament in the global esports calendar, showcasing top-tier League of Legends talent.
