As previously reported, the tournament considered the “biggest” in the history of esports – Esports World Cup 2024 has officially been revealed. The initial prize pool for this tournament is $60 million (approximately 1,524 billion VND) – an incredibly “massive” figure in esports history. Not stopping there, this tournament also boasts an unimaginable scale with up to 20 different game genres, from FPS, MOBA (including LoL) to fighting games.
Early on the morning of April 19, the prize distribution for the 20 game genres at the Esports World Cup was officially announced. However, this has caused immense outrage within the LoL community. Even the media in the LPL region has called on teams from this area and T1 not to participate in the Esports World Cup as a form of protest.
Specifically, the total prize for the LoL segment at the Esports World Cup is only $1 million. This figure is significantly smaller than that of mobile games such as PUBG Mobile ($3 million) or Mobile Legends Bang Bang ($3 million). In fact, when compared to another MOBA game, DOTA 2, the prize for LoL is drastically lower. Specifically, the prize for the playoffs and qualifying stages of DOTA 2 reaches $10 million ($5 million for each stage). Clearly, such a large disparity indicates that the Esports World Cup organizers do not regard LoL as highly as other games.
It is important to note that the Esports World Cup is being held in Saudi Arabia, a location with extremely harsh climate conditions. Furthermore, the tournament is scheduled to take place in early July, coinciding with the group stage of summer tournaments in the LPL and LCK. Participating in this tournament (if any) could have a negative impact on players, particularly concerning their health.
Additionally, the Esports World Cup is not part of the official tournament system of Riot Games. Winning this tournament does not grant any advantages at the World Championship (the most important tournament of the year for LoL). Therefore, without a significantly high prize pool, top teams in the LPL and LCK have no reason to participate in this tournament.
Perhaps due to this issue, some information suggests that top LoL teams such as T1, Gen.G, BLG… are still considering and have not yet decided to participate in the Esports World Cup. If the prize structure of this tournament remains unchanged, it is understandable that these renowned teams would decline to participate.