The Esports World Cup has arrived in Paris and organizers want you to know it's going well. Very well, apparently. At a press conference on July 8, Esports World Cup Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert revealed that 100,000 tickets(!) have already been sold for the event's inaugural run outside Saudi Arabia — a headline figure the Foundation is leaning on hard as proof the last-minute city swap was a success.
The action takes place at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the sprawling 15th arrondissement venue familiar to European gaming fans from years of Paris Games Week. Its largest indoor hall holds 64,000 people, while its biggest theater seats 5,200, which begs the question: where will 100,000 people go?
As you might have guessed, cynicism about the 100,000 figure is starting to kick in.
Paris gets the EWC, here's how it happened
This year's EWC was all set to return to Riyadh, as it had every year since the tournament's launch. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, though, meant that plans had to change. There were genuine fears that players wouldn’t be able to get to Saudi Arabia safely or on time.. Consequently, Esports World Cup Foundation pivoted to France following direct talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari welcomed the deal. "Esports, for its part, is already writing part of our future," she said at the press conference. "By choosing Paris and France, the Esports Foundation gives us the opportunity to showcase our expertise."
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is a smart, logical fit that ticks all the right boxes. The venue has already proven it can handle the logistical demands of mega events like the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and its modular layout can support seven consecutive weeks of competition across 25 tournaments and 24 games.
A record total prize pool of $75 million is up for grabs, a figure that’s up from $60 million at last year's Riyadh edition. DAZN, which is back as a broadcast partner for a third consecutive year, said: "We are excited to bring this competition to fans worldwide free-to-view for the third year in a row and to continue cementing our leading position in sports entertainment.”
The nation-based Esports Nations Cup will remain in Riyadh this November.
What's in the schedule
The seven-week slate is dense. Here's how it breaks down:
| Week | Key Titles | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VALORANT, Apex Legends, Dota 2, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves | July 7–12 |
| 2 | League of Legends, Free Fire, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women's Invitational | July 14–19 |
| 3 | FC Pro World Championship, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Mobile Legends Mid-Season, TFT | July 21–26 |
| 4 | Overwatch 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, Street Fighter 6 | July 29–Aug 2 |
| 5 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, TEKKEN 8 | Aug 4–9 |
| 6 | Rocket League, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Chess | Aug 11–16 |
| 7 | Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Trackmania, CrossFire | Aug 18–23 |
Teams can also chase points in the Club Championship, a parallel competition that splits an additional $30 million among the top 24 clubs based on cumulative performance across the full seven weeks.
The 100,000 tickets claim, examined
The 100,000 figure certainly looks impressive – but is it a little skewed?
Esports Insider did some digging and pointed out that the ticketing structure allows fans to buy individual day passes for every single day of every tournament running that week. Attending one week of Mobile Legends alone could represent up to nine separate ticket purchases, all of which would presumably count toward that 100,000 total.
There's also a straightforward availability test. As of the time of writing, tickets to the VALORANT Grand Finals, one of the most popular titles at the entire event, with its championship weekend imminent, were still on sale. Dota 2 Championship Weekend tickets were similarly available, with only the Final Day sold out (though a Premium Tournament Pass can still get you in). Mobile Legends Championship Weekend Final Day seats were purchasable too.
As the reporter showed, only Warzone's Championship Weekend Final Day is sold out, which is hardly what you'd expect if organic demand had truly absorbed 100,000 tickets, right?
Context the Foundation probably doesn't want to discuss
Skepticism here isn't new. Investigative journalist Richard Lewis previously reported on what he described as a "Superfan campaign" during the 2025 EWC in Riyadh, an internal program that paid fans to attend and fill seats. The EWC has also been criticized for its Club Partner Program, which pays teams simply to participate, a structure that brings in chess players, FGC competitors, and other non-traditional esports names alongside traditional titles.
The Foundation hasn't made its ticket breakdown public. Until it does, the 100,000 figure is a promotional claim and not a verified attendance count.
Writer's take
Look, despite the cynicism around the ticket sales, Paris is still a genuinely exciting venue for EWC. It’s a city that has actual esports credibility, as well as a passionate gaming fanbase. And who can overlook the infrastructure that has already been proven at Olympic scale? The Foundation can make a real case that this move broadens the tournament's global legitimacy, perhaps paving the way for other host cities besides Riyadh in the future.
All the drama of the EWC concludes on August 23.
