After the conclusion of the Spring tournaments for League of Legends, all attention is now focused on MSI 2024 taking place in Chengdu. This tournament gathers the best teams currently such as Gen.G, T1, BLG, TES… and promises to deliver spectacular performances to the audience. Not stopping there, teams from smaller regions also have a great opportunity to make their mark at this tournament.
And just before the MSI 2024, another noteworthy piece of information has emerged, causing a buzz in the Esports community. Specifically, the Twitter account (now X) named Esports World Cup announced information about the tournament with the largest prize pool in the history of Esports. The initial prize pool for this tournament is 60 million USD (approximately 1,524 billion VND). Previously, this record was held by the Gamers8 tournament with a total prize pool of up to 45 million USD (approximately 1,100 billion VND)
It is worth noting that the Esports World Cup 2024 is organized by Gamers8 and Savvy Gaming Group, a company owned by an investment fund from Saudi Arabia. In 2023, they also organized the aforementioned Gamers8 tournament featuring games like DOTA 2, CS:GO, Rocket League, Fortnite, Street Fighter, and Rainbow Six. However, in 2024, they will break their own prize pool record by organizing the Esports World Cup while expanding to include many other games (including League of Legends).
An interesting point about the prize structure of the Esports World Cup is that even teams eliminated in the qualifying rounds will receive rewards. Specifically, the organizers have allocated up to 7.6 million USD (nearly 200 billion VND) for teams eliminated in the qualifiers. This is necessary so that even teams with less fame can maintain operations while participating in the tournament.
Right after this information was announced, there were many predictions about the names invited to participate in this massive tournament. In fact, according to media analysis, T1 is considered the League of Legends team with the highest likelihood of being invited. The reason is quite simple: T1 is the reigning World Champion and boasts a star-studded lineup.
Not stopping there, Savvy Gaming Group’s likely goal is to make Saudi Arabia the new “paradise” for Esports. As for T1, this team is considered one of the most famous in the Esports scene, having the “contemporary legend” Faker. Therefore, having T1 participate in the Esports World Cup is seen as a perfect move that ensures both professionalism and increases the visibility of the tournament.
An interesting fact is that this tournament is highly likely to also receive support from Riot Games. Remember that at the beginning of 2024, journalist Jacob Wolf revealed that Riot had sent emails to teams arranging schedules to ensure there was free time in early July. This is likely the timeframe for the Esports World Cup.
Essentially, the current tournament system of Riot Games only has two international tournaments: MSI and the World Championship. This is considered a relatively small number compared to other games. Hopefully, the upcoming Esports World Cup will achieve great success and become an annual tournament, providing fans with the opportunity to watch more top-tier League of Legends matches.