A Massive Revenue Awaits T1
As is well known, in mid-2024, the Esports community in general and League of Legends in particular will hear about the Esports World Cup for the first time. This tournament is organized by various Esports organizations and federations in Saudi Arabia, aiming to spread Esports to the oil-rich nation. T1 has become one of the champion teams in various disciplines at EWC 2024 and has a significant prize pool (~ $700k USD, not including surrounding expenses). But the profit doesn’t stop there.
According to the latest announcement, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has decided to launch a partnership program for the top 40 Esports teams across various disciplines. Among them, the teams that won championships in the disciplines at EWC 2024 will automatically receive a spot, while others must submit applications for consideration.
The most important thing is that the budget for the program is up to $20 million USD. Thus, on average, each team can receive an investment of around $500k USD. Of course, the amount will be distributed according to the regulations of EWCF. The market that this organization aims for will include Southeast Asia, meaning that VCS teams can also benefit.
In other words, if T1 can win the tournaments they participate in (LCK, MSI, Worlds), the team could earn at least $1 million USD in 2025. This is a significant amount, especially as Esports teams in general and League of Legends teams in particular are currently facing “tighten their belts” situations.
T1 Benefits While Another Team May Face Difficulties
T1’s situation has left Gen.G fans feeling “frustrated”. Gen.G was considered very strong in 2024. However, what this team achieved were only the LCK Spring 2024 and the subsequent MSI. Otherwise, they came up empty in all competitions, including EWC 2024 and LCK Summer 2024.
Of course, Gen.G can still register and receive a spot from EWCF. However, it is clear that if they had performed better at EWC 2024, they would not have to go through their current troubles.