League of Legends EWC 2025: Everything You Need to Know

12 Jul

Foo Zen-Wen

League of Legends once again returns to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2025, as part of the 3-year deal between Riot Games and the EWC Foundation. The tournament will run from July 17th to the 20th.

In its inaugural year, we saw T1 take home the first LoL EWC trophy. Will this year be a repeat? Or will a new champion be crowned? Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s tournament.

Schedule and Format

A total of 12 teams will battle it out on the EWC stage post-MSI in a bid to secure international victory. The tournament is segmented into 2 stages: Group Stage and Playoffs.

Group Stage [July 16th – 17th]
- 8 teams (5th-12th seed based on final MSI placements)
- 2 double-elimination group brackets (4 teams per group)
- All matches Bo1 (Best-of-One)
- Top 2 teams from each group qualify for Playoffs
Playoffs [July 17th – 20th]
- 8 teams (1st-4th seed based on final MSI placements + the 4 qualified teams from Group Stage)
- Single-elimination bracket
- All matches Bo3 (Best-of-Three) except for Grand Finals which is Bo5 (Best-of-Five)
- Quarterfinals – July 17th -18th
- Semifinals – July 19th
- Grand Finals – July 20th (Bo5)

Group 1

Hanwha Life
FlyQuest
Cloud9
FURIA

Group 2

Movistar KOI
G2 Esports
CTBC Flying Oyster
GAM Esports

The following teams have qualified for Playoffs and will await the best 4 teams from the Group Stage: T1, Gen.G, AG.AL, Bilibili Gaming.

Prize Pool Distribution

A total of $2,000,000 USD will serve as the main tournament prize pool. An additional $10,000 USD has been set aside for the MVP of the tournament as a bonus.

Qualification

A total of 12 teams will be invited to EWC 2025 for League of Legends. 11 teams will qualify from the 5 major regions: Korea, China, EMEA, Americas, and Pacific. Furthermore, the previous EWC champion for 2024, T1, has been automatically invited back to defend their title.

[table id=121 /]

Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest League news and our X account for the latest content and coverages. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credit: EWC

Most Picked Champions of the LEC Spring 2025 Regular Season: Engage Supports Run the League

Is WASD Movement Arriving to League of Legends? What We Know So Far