{"id":41082,"date":"2025-02-10T19:22:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T00:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/?p=41082"},"modified":"2025-02-10T19:22:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T00:22:27","slug":"valorant-set-to-make-esports-world-cup-debut-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/valorant-set-to-make-esports-world-cup-debut-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"VALORANT set to make Esports World Cup debut in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>VALORANT will finally debut at the 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/esports-world-cup\/\" title=\"Esports World Cup betting guide\">Esports World Cup (EWC)<\/a> in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking a major development in the global esports scene.<\/p>\n<p>The tactical shooter joins <a href=\"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/league-of-legends\/\" title=\"League of Legends betting guide\">League of Legends (LoL)<\/a> and Teamfight Tactics (TFT) as part of a new three-year partnership between Riot Games and the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF).<\/p>\n<p>This landmark agreement not only secures Riot\u2019s flagship titles at the EWC through 2027 but also introduces a global commercial partnership.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRiot Games has shaped the cultural impact of competitive gaming, transforming esports into a global entertainment force,\u201d said Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith League of Legends\u2019 iconic World Championship\u2014which continues to set new standards for immersive experiences\u2014VALORANT\u2019s cultural collaborations and Teamfight Tactics\u2019 community-driven events, Riot has pioneered an ecosystem far beyond competition.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;By bringing these titles to the Esports World Cup, we are not just celebrating elite gameplay\u2014we are, together, expanding esports as a global entertainment movement, creating deeper connections with fans across gaming, music, and digital culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Time to start a Riot \ud83d\udc4a<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd39 VALORANT<br \/>\ud83d\udd39 League of Legends<br \/>\ud83d\udd39 Teamfight Tactics<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/EWC2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#EWC2025<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OWI4iZadTp\">pic.twitter.com\/OWI4iZadTp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EWC_EN\/status\/1889034098909561267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The collaboration will feature integrated branding, in-broadcast activations, and cross-promotional content across Riot\u2019s competitive circuits, starting with the <a href=\"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/valorant\/champions-tour\/\" title=\"VCT betting guide\">VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT)<\/a> Masters Bangkok on February 20, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>While LoL and TFT made their EWC debut in 2024, this will be <a href=\"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/valorant\/\" title=\"VALORANT betting guide\">VALORANT\u2019s<\/a> first appearance at the prestigious event.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the 2024 edition\u2014where the EWC received little attention on Riot\u2019s official broadcasts\u2014the 2025 event will be fully integrated into Riot\u2019s esports ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>This partnership positions the EWC as a key fixture within Riot\u2019s competitive calendar, increasing their global profile.<\/p>\n<p>According to the EWCF, the 2025 tournaments will feature top international teams competing for significant prize pools.<\/p>\n<p>League of Legends will showcase elite teams from around the world, VALORANT will host their largest event outside the VCT structure, and TFT will present a unique team-based competition format, promising exciting matchups and fresh narratives for fans.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the excitement surrounding VALORANT\u2019s addition, the announcement has reignited ongoing debates within the esports community.<\/p>\n<p>Critics have pointed to Saudi Arabia\u2019s human rights record, raising concerns about the ethics of hosting the EWC in Riyadh.<\/p>\n<p>Social media platforms have seen a surge in comments questioning the necessity of holding the event in a country with a controversial legal framework, particularly in a gaming culture that values inclusivity and diversity.<\/p>\n<p>Tournament organisers have emphasised that EWC funding does not come directly from Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund but is sourced through a mix of sponsorships and host-nation support.<\/p>\n<p>However, many fans remain sceptical, arguing that financial ties to the host country indirectly support their broader agenda.<\/p>\n<p>This tension highlights the complex balance between the rapid growth of esports and the ethical considerations tied to global expansion.<\/p>\n<p>The 2025 Esports World Cup is expected to be the largest yet, featuring 23 tournaments across 22 different games, spanning genres such as first-person shooters, MOBAs, battle royales, and real-time strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The event\u2019s multi-tournament structure aims to create a festival-like atmosphere, bringing together diverse gaming communities under one banner.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/news\/\" class=\"contentLinkBtn\">Esports news<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Esports World Cup and Riot Games have announced a three-year partnership from 2025 onwards, which will pave the way for VALORANT to debut at the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":40252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[3449,24,61,705,1150,1610],"class_list":["post-41082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-esports-world-cup","tag-league-of-legends","tag-riot-games","tag-teamfight-tactics","tag-valorant","tag-valorant-champions-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41082"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41088,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41082\/revisions\/41088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esportbet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}