The 2025 edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC) will feature VALORANT, League of Legends, and Teamfight Tactics competitions. This will mark the first occasion VALORANT has appeared at the EWC after LoL and TFT were included in 2024.
As per a release, the Esports World Cup Foundation has penned a three-year partnership with developer Riot Games which will see its titles included in the EWC as well as cross-promotion on official Riot broadcasts.
The pair’s ‘global commercial partnership’ will include ‘in-broadcast activations at LoL Esports, VCT, and TFT global LAN events’, according to the release. This is in contrast to the 2024 EWC which received little to no mention on Riot channels, with the event at one moment referenced as “the tournament we did away from here” when discussed on the LEC broadcast hosted in Riot’s Berlin studio. The LoL event at the 2024 EWC drew in a peak of over 1.1m viewers during its grand final between T1 and Top Esports according to Esports Charts.
Format and participation details of the 2025 tournaments have not been revealed, though the release promises ‘an international event featuring the best teams’ in League of Legends, ‘the largest major tournament outside the VCT’ and ‘opportunities for top, international talent to compete in an exciting team format’ in TFT.
Game Changers on the cards?
In December of last year, a report by Mikhail Klimentov revealed that an internal EWC document had already included VALORANT amongst its roster of titles. The document was reported to detail the 2025 EWC’s near-final lineup of games and included both VALORANT and VALORANT Game Changers, the game’s professional circuit for women and marginalized genders. Within Klementov’s report, a Riot spokesperson denied that GC’s inclusion was up for discussion, though confirmed that talks about the developer’s roster of titles appearing at the EWC were ongoing.
Image Credit: Esports World Cup Foundation
Esports.net has contacted the Esports World Cup for clarity on whether tournaments for women and marginalized genders tournaments will be held for any of Riot’s licenced titles. This article will be updated with their response.
On the collaboration, Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation, said: “Riot Games has shaped the cultural impact of competitive gaming, transforming esports into a global entertainment force. With League of Legends’ iconic World Championship – which continues to set new standards for immersive experiences, VALORANT’s cultural collaborations, and Teamfight Tactics’ community-driven events, Riot has pioneered an ecosystem far beyond competition.
“By bringing these titles to the Esports World Cup, we are not just celebrating elite gameplay – we are, together, expanding esports as a global entertainment movement, creating deeper connections with fans across gaming, music, and digital culture.”
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