Esports World Cup: Free Fire unveiled with $1 million prize pool

The Esports World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s multi-game esports tournament and the replacement to the Gamers8 festival, has announced another mobile game as a part of its inaugural edition – and it is Free Fire. Besides the $1 million prize pool, the teams will also be fighting for a slot in the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) 2024 Global Finals.

“We are honored to be a part of the widely anticipated first edition of the Esports World Cup. The team is working closely with the EWC Foundation to deliver an unforgettable Free Fire esports experience, and we cannot wait to unveil our plans to our global community, especially our players in the region,” said Harold Teo, the Free Fire producer at Garena.

Esports World Cup: Free Fire to feature 18 teams competing for the title

The Esports World Cup: Free Fire will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia across two stages, namely the group stage and the finals. In the group stage, the 18 teams will compete in a knockout format. Here, the top 12 will make it to the Finals, where they will crown a champion.

Group Stage: July 10 to 12
Finals: July 13 and 14

Garena has also unveiled the slots distribution for the event. In a surprising, however, teams from the FFWS SEA 2024 Spring have been allotted the most slots – by a big margin.

FFWS SEA 2024 Spring: 8 slots
FFWS LATAM 2024: 3 slots
Snapdragon Pro Series: 2 slots
FFWS Brazil: 3 slots
MEA Qualifier: 1 slot
Pakistan Qualifier: 1 slot

“Free Fire has been a major force in mobile esports, pushing boundaries and setting records. Our summer event brings together the best games, and the Esports World Cup: Free Fire is a natural fit. It is a prestigious competition that shows the power of esports to unite players and fans worldwide. Get ready for an epic battle royale showdown in Riyadh!” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation.

The top team to qualify for the FFWS Global Finals

What makes the Esports World Cup: Free Fire an even more important event for players is that the winner will get a slot in the FFWS Global Finals 2024. This time, the event will return to Brazil, where the first edition of the World Series took place.

Additionally, Free Fire’s addition to the Esports World Cup with a $1 million prize pool comes as a good sign for the game as it looks to stabilize its global esports ecosystem. The game, which once achieved a peak concurrent viewership of 5.4 million, has seen a fall in its esports viewership over the past two years. As such, Garena announced major changes to its 2024 roadmap, with all regional tournaments being rebranded to the FFWS branding.

Thus, 2024 is a crucial year for the game’s esports future. However, its addition into the Esports World Cup, where rival title PUBG Mobile are strongly rumored to participate as well, signify a strategic move by Garena to ensure the game’s position in the mobile esports landscape.