Get ready for thrilling competition at the Esports World Cup 2025 LoL (League of Legends) tournament.
League of Legends is returning to the Esports World Cup this year as part of a three-year deal between Riot Games and the Esports World Cup Foundation that will see League of Legends and other Riot titles appear at EWC until 2027.
This year’s League of Legends competition includes even more teams hosted in Riyadh to compete for their share of the USD$2 million prize pool and to help their Club in the Club Championship.
Esports World Cup 2025 LoL schedule and format
| ESPORTS WORLD CUP 2025 LOL SCHEDULE | DATES (2025) |
| Group Stage | July 16-17 |
| Playoffs | July 17-20 |
Group Stage
The Esports World Cup 2025 LoL commences with the Group Stage from July 16 to 17, 2025 featuring eight teams seeded 5th through 12th based on their final placements in the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
These eight teams will be divided into two double-elimination group brackets, with four teams competing in each group.
All matches during the Group Stage will be decided in a single best-of-one format. Ultimately, the top two teams from each of the two groups advances to the playoffs.
Playoffs
The Esports World Cup 2025 LoL playoffs takes place from July 17 to 20, featuring a total of eight teams.
These will include the top four seeded teams based on their final Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) placements, along with e top two teams from each group of e preceding Group Stage.
The playoffs follow a single-elimination bracket format. Quarterfinals are on July 17 and 18, and will be played as best-of-three matches.
The semifinals follow on July 19, also in a best-of-three format. The final takes place on July 20, played in a best-of-five series to determine League of Legends EWC 2025 champion.
Esports World Cup 2025 LoL prize pool distribution
The main tournament for the League of Legends EWC 2025 boasts a substantial prize pool of USD$2,000,000.
An MVP bonus of USD$10,000 will be awarded to the most valuable player of the tournament.
What happened during Esports World Cup 2024?
The League of Legends competition at the first-ever Esports World Cup provided fans with a rare opportunity to witness elite international play outside the usual Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and World Championship.
Prominent teams from all major global leagues traveled to Riyadh for the Esports World Cup, and the matches lived up to the hype, culminating in T1’s victory as the inaugural EWC champions.
T1’s path to the trophy was hard-fought. They narrowly defeated Bilibili Gaming 2-1 in a closely contested quarterfinal and then repeated that scoreline against Team Liquid in the semifinals.
This second win set up a grand final showdown against LPL representatives Top Esports, where T1 finally found a slightly more comfortable rhythm, securing a 3-1 victory in the best-of-five series to claim the championship title.
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