In its debut year, the Esports World Cup not only created one of the biggest esports tournaments ever, but it also launched a club partner program that rewarded top esports organisations with bonus cash, outside of the event’s prize money. There were a number of factors that went into how this cash was distributed and which orgs were involved, but the aim was to help financially support the teams that were sending multiple rosters to the World Cup.
Now, with the Esports World Cup coming back for a second year in 2025, the club partner program is also coming back, this time with a slightly different look and major payouts up to $1 million for the top teams.
The new-look club partner program is being expanded and opened up even further than last year. Previously, 30 teams were a part of the program, but this year that is being expanded to 40, with the top eight teams from the 2024 Esports World Cup club championship receiving direct invites. The remaining teams will be decided via an application process, with esports organisations around the world encouraged to submit their applications over the coming weeks.
“The EWCF Club Support Program that was launched in 2023 was focused on enabling clubs to ready themselves for the unique concept that the Esports World Cup brought to the esports ecosystem,” said Faisal Bin Homran, chief product officer at the Esports World Cup Foundation. “The 2025 phase of the program is now expanded from 30 to 40 Clubs and will make a $20 million investment available to clubs to grow their global esports fanbase. In addition, the program doubles-down on expanding in key high-growth markets, including China, Southeast Asia, LATAM and MENA.”
Teams that make it into the program are expected to be “highly competitive, multi-game organizations with a strong brand,” according to Bin Homran, but this year the people in charge are looking to include more teams from markets outside of Europe and the US, with a specific focus on China, SEA, LATAM and MENA.
“These markets have some of the world’s fastest growing and thriving gaming communities, with millions of people playing and watching games every day, often with mobile being a platform of choice,” said Bin Homran. “EWCF’s mission is to unite players, clubs, games and communities from all over the world, and the Esports World Cup is a unique platform for that, the EWCF Club Partner Program is another initiative to reach that goal.”
Getting a spot in the partner program is not going to be easy, more than 175 teams applied last year and more are expected this time around. But for the teams that do get in, it could end up being a lucrative partnership, providing they manage to have some teams qualify for EWC this summer, which is not guaranteed. At the tournament they will be expected to create content, share the event with their audiences and generally promote the world of esports to the largest audience possible. Doing this could net the top teams up to $1 million.
“A six-figure base reward will be provided to all clubs in the program equally; additionally, funding related to different campaigns, initiatives and activities will be distributed throughout the season to support clubs in reaching their goals: building and strengthening connections with current fanbases and reaching broader international audiences,” said Bin Homran. “This additional funding will be based on the overall impact each club had on the success of these elements. This way, top performing clubs can earn up to $1 million per year.”
The EWC is, of course, no stranger to giving away a ton of money, with last year’s even having a $60 million prize pool, but this partnership program is more than just giving teams more money. The goal is to grow the overall audience for esports, especially in the targeted regions for this year. By bringing in more teams across more regions, the hope is that more people will be exposed to new games throughout the EWC and raise the overall fan base for esports as a whole. With teams also being encouraged to create content and shout about the event, there is also the hope that it will raise the overall profile of esports in the mainstream consciousness.
“Through this program, our focus is to help partnered clubs to connect with the broader international audiences, showcasing the talent, personalities and storylines that make esports a premier entertainment product,” said Bin Homran. “We want to partner with the biggest esports brands across the globe, and welcome clubs from the key regions — China, Southeast Asia, LATAM and MENA — to collectively grow the esports fanbase, ensuring that all clubs grow sustainably beyond their competitive success.”
While the 2025 program is in the very early days, it already looks like it could become a key earner for the 40 teams that are accepted for the coming 12 months. With sponsorships becoming rarer and many teams closing their doors over the past few years, seeing a tournament directly support the organisations directly instead of just handing out a big prize pool to the players is no doubt a good thing.