Korea's 'unkillable demon king' to vie for second title at 2025 Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia

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Korea's 'unkillable demon king' to vie for second title at 2025 Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia

Published: 07 Jul. 2025, 15:11 Updated: 07 Jul. 2025, 19:14

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) will start on July 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where players like Faker will participate as shown in this post uploaded to the EWC Instagram page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

League of Legends star Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, is gunning for a second title at the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia is putting up a record $70 million prize pool to brand itself the global home of gaming.

Savvy Games Group, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is hosting the seven-week competition, which begins Tuesday and marks the second EWC after last year’s debut.

The esports lineup expanded to include Valorant, chess and Naraka: Bladepoint alongside staples like StarCraft II and Street Fighter 6.

Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo serves as the tournament’s global ambassador, adding star power to an event that will draw 200 teams and over 2,000 players across 25 titles.

Lee ″Faker″ Sang-hyeok of T1, center, led his team to victory in the League of Legends event at the 2024 Esports World Cup, in this image uploaded to EWC's Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Twelve teams will clash for $2 million in the League of Legends bracket from July 16 to 20, with Korea’s Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports and defending champion T1 in the mix.

Organizers liken T1’s Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok to the sport's Michael Jordan, hailing him as an “unkillable demon king.”

“The EWC is special because great players from all kinds of games, not just League of Legends, come together here,” Faker said.

At the inaugural EWC, Korean player Lim "Ulsan" Soo-hoon won Tekken 8 while Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons claimed the overall crown after signing top talent from around the world.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at the Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 29, 2024 [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The push reflects Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify the oil-heavy economy, create jobs and build a tourism draw in a country where 63 percent of the population is under 30.

In March, Scopely, a game publisher under Saudi control, bought Pokémon Go creator Niantic for $3.5 billion.

Saudi Arabia aims to make Riyadh the esports capital of the world, having drawn 500 million online viewers and 2.6 million spectators last year.

Still, critics argue that the kingdom is using high-profile events to divert attention from its human rights record.

Looking ahead, Saudi Arabia will co-host the first Esports Olympics with the International Olympic Committee in 2027, while China and tech giant Tencent also ramp up their global esports reach.

Korea, long considered the cradle of professional gaming, now faces slowing revenues and stiffer global competition even as President Lee Jae Myung’s campaign promise to boost esports still waits for concrete follow-through.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK LIN [[email protected]]