This week League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and, for the first time, VALORANT were confirmed for this year’s Esports World Cup (EWC). We’re taking a moment to be real with you about this decision and what it means for our games and esports.
Let’s start with the basics: We’re granting a license to the EWC for League, TFT, and VALORANT for the next three years. As part of this agreement, you’ll also see limited ads for the EWC, as well as an esports tournament included in Riyadh Season later this year, during our global tournaments, starting with Masters Bangkok for VALORANT. That includes placements similar to what you see from other global esports sponsors, like rotating logo placements during play and video ads between matches with details about the tournament.
Why We’re Continuing with EWC
When we made the decision to participate last year, we went into it wanting to evaluate the tournament experience and better understand its benefit to pro players and teams.
The feedback we got from players and teams who participated last year was positive. The event’s significant prize pool offered crucial financial support for them, providing stability at a time when many esports organizations were working toward a stronger future. The EWC team put on a good tournament that showcased our sports at a high level. And for players in MENA, the EWC was a chance to watch pros in person, often for the first time in their region.
We’re also adding VALORANT this year because of the incredible growth of its esports scene and the demand we’ve seen from teams and players to bring global VALORANT events to new regions. By expanding our licenses for the EWC, we’re creating more opportunities for players and teams across all three games to compete on a big stage and grow their profiles.
Like all third-party events, participation in the EWC is completely optional for teams, pros, talent and creators, and that choice has no impact whatsoever on their relationship with Riot and their role in our official events.
Supporting the Future of Esports
Moving forward, we’ll continue to open the door for more third-party tournaments worldwide, complementing our existing global schedule. We’ll also actively promote these events to ensure you don’t miss out on great competitions. These tournaments help make sure there are matches throughout the entire year, foster exciting cross-regional matchups, and create more opportunities for rising players and tier-two teams to showcase their skills on the global stage. You’ll hear more from us on this in the coming months.
Esports has always been about more than just organizing tournaments. It’s about building something bigger: ecosystems that give pro players and teams opportunities to thrive while putting a spotlight on the best players in the world. And that requires a significant amount of investment. Support from sponsors and licensing allows us to continue investing at that high level – not only to sustain esports, but to keep evolving to make sure it remains exciting, competitive, and rewarding for years to come.
We know some of you may not feel great about our decision to partner with the EWC in this way, and we respect that. Overall, our goal remains clear: to create meaningful opportunities for pros and teams, deliver unforgettable experiences to players around the world, and carefully navigate the complexities that come with operating on a global stage. We’re committed to balancing these priorities in a way that serves players, teams, and the future of esports.
