Esports World Cup 2025 - Predictions & Betting Odds on Stake
Stake - July 1, 2025
2025 Esports World Cup Ultimate Betting Guide - Bet with Expert Tips, Strategies & Predictions
The world’s biggest and most prestigious Esports event is on the horizon as some of the best players and competitors get ready for the 2025 Esports World Cup. You can bet on all the action from the tournament right here at Stake Sportsbook. Read through our guide, as we’ll share expert tips and Esports betting strategies.
What is the Esports World Cup?
The Esports World Cup is a multi-game Esports tournament hosted by the Esports World Cup Foundation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The $70 million prize pool at the Esports World Cup makes it the largest combined prize pool in Esports history. Teams earn prize money based on their performance during qualifiers, the Game Championships, and the Club Championship. In addition, players can pick up prize money for receiving MVP awards during matches. There are 25 different games at the 2025 Esports World Cup, with teams able to compete in all of them if they can progress through the open qualifying. The Esports World Cup also holds the Club Partner Program, which provides funding and assistance to 40 teams based on their performance at the previous year’s Club Championship and their fan engagement during the event. However, being part of this program doesn’t guarantee participation in the tournaments; teams still need to qualify.
History of the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup was first held in 2024, but its origins date back to the charity fundraiser, Games Without Borders (GWB) tournament series. GWB started in 2020, offering a $10 million prize pool, with winning teams choosing which charities they’d donate their winnings to. The tournament returned in 2021, organized by the Saudi Esports Federation.
In 2022, the Saudi Esports Federation launched Gamers8, an in-person gaming and Esports festival, and later that year, Saudi Arabia announced its aims to make the country a global centre for the video game industry. In 2023, Gamers8 returned, with 15 different games and a record combined prize pool of $45 million. The Club Awards system was also introduced, giving teams points for finishing in the top 8 of tournaments. Twisted Minds won the 2023 Gamers8 Club Awards. Later in 2023, Saudi Arabia announced the Esports World Cup as the successor to Gamers8. The very first edition of the tournament was held in 2024, offering the largest combined prize pools in Esports history, with teams competing for a total prize fund of $62.5 million. The Club Awards system became the Club Championship, offering $20 million shared between the top 16 teams based on their overall performance. Team Falcons won the 2024 Club Championship, with Team Liquid in 2nd place, Team BDS in 3rd, and Team Vitality in 4th place.
Format
The Esports World Cup consists of 26 different tournaments across 25 games, each of which has its own format. Typically, each game will feature a group stage, followed by an elimination stage to determine the world champion of that game.
For example, there are 16 teams in the Dota 2 tournament, which are split into 4 groups of 4. The top 4 teams automatically enter the playoffs, while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th teams enter a single-elimination bracket to provide 4 more teams for the playoffs. The final 8 will compete in the single elimination playoff that culminates in the grand final to determine the champion.
Games available at the 2025 Esports World Cup include:
The Club Championship is a cross-game competition open to all teams competing at the EWC and aims to crown the overall best team across various games. Teams earn points based on their performance, and the team with the most points is crowned as the EWC 2025 Champions.
To qualify for this competition, teams must finish in the top 8 in at least 2 games. The Club Championship can only be won by a team that has won at least one tournament at the EWC.
EWC Points System
By winning game tournaments, teams earn points to determine their Club Championship ranking. The points earned are as follows:
1st place - 1000 points
2nd place - 750 points
3rd place - 500 points
4th place - 300 points
5th place - 200 points
6th place - 150 points
7th place - 100 points
8th place - 50 points
EWC Prize Money
The 2025 EWC gives out the largest combined prize pool in the history of major Esports tournaments. Individual game tournaments have their own prize pools, while the Club Championship prize pool offers $27 million.
How to Bet on the 2025 Esports World Cup
It’s pretty straightforward to start betting on the 2025 EWC at Stake.com. Once you’ve created an account, just follow these steps:
Check your current balance and use the deposit button to add funds.
There are lots of betting markets available on Esports tournaments at Stake, though the exact markets will depend on the game you’re betting on. Some popular options include:
Before you place any bets, make sure you read our guide to understand how odds work. Remember that higher odds equal bigger potential payouts, but also imply greater risk. Manage your risk carefully and use responsible bet sizes. You can switch between decimal, fractional, and American odds to make it easier for you to read and calculate your payouts.
Here are some of our 2025 Esports predictions for the top games at this Esports competition:
CS2
Team Vitality are the number 1 ranked CS2 team in the world currently, ahead of Team Spirit MOUZ, and Team Falcons. These 4 teams will likely be part of the round of 8 on day 3 of the tournament. We’re picking Team Vitality to go all the way, but there are lots of great competitors to watch this year.
Dota 2
We’ll know more about each team’s prospects once the group stage gets underway, but we’re predicting Team Spirit, Gaimin Gladiators, Aurora, and Team Liquid to top their groups. Team Spirit, Paravision and Team Liquid are the current Esports odds betting favourites overall.
LoL
T1 is the defending champion from the 2024 EWC, and they’re currently 4th in the Riot Games world rankings. Gen.G are the number 1 ranked League of Legends team right now, and they’ll be looking to take the crown when the tournament gets underway. Hanwha Life Esports and Bilibili Gaming will also likely be among the teams to make the knockout stage of the LoL Esports tournament.
2025 Esports World Cup Betting Tips & Strategies
Stick to games you’re knowledgeable about - There are over 20 different games included in the Esports World Cup, including some you may not have played or watched before. It’s a good idea to focus on games that you have good knowledge of, or at least read through our guides on a game before you bet.
Make the most of all the markets available - There’s a wide range of Esports betting markets to choose from when betting on the Esports World Cup 2025 at Stake. Don’t just stick to the match winner market, check out other markets like handicaps, map winner, total maps, and correct score to find the best value. Utilise live betting to find the best betting odds too.
Follow player and team form - Teams will use different players for different games, and it’s important to look at their recent form before you bet. Check online and LAN results and look for information about last-minute substitutions, which could help you find an edge. Look at the map pool strength and veto history in certain games for an idea of the team's strategy and strength in certain matchups.
How to Live Stream Esports & Live Betting Markets
All Esports World Cup tournaments are available to bet on at Stake, with pre-match and live betting markets. To see the latest live odds, simply open the Esports page, and the live matches will be shown first. Open any live match to see the stats and odds as they’re updated in real time. Live streaming isn’t offered on the 2025 Esports World Cup, but you can watch free live streams of other Esports at Stake.
