StarCraft II Esports World Cup 2025: Players, Format, Schedule, Prize Pool, and More

StarCraft II is set to return to the biggest stage once more during the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025. Starting Tuesday, July 22nd, 18 players will compete for the trophy, and a slice of the $700,000 prize pool.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know about the EWC 2025 StarCraft II tournament.

Format and Schedule

The tournament will be split into three phases: the Play-In Stage, the Group Stage, and the Playoffs. Here's how these will work:

Play-In Stage (July 22nd)

• Four players
• Double-elimination bracket
• Matches are Bo3
  • Top 2 players qualify for the Group Stage

Group Stage (July 22nd-24th)

• Two groups: 8 players per group
• Double-elimination bracket
• Opening matches are Bo3, all other matches are Bo5
• Top 4 players in each group advance to the Playoffs

Playoffs (July 24th-25th)

• Single-elimination bracket
• Quarterfinals and Semifinals are Bo5
• Third place match is Bo7
• Grand Finals are Bo7
• The Grand Finals start on Friday, July 25th, at 7:30 pm CET

Player Lineup

Here is the complete list of players that will make up the StarCraft II EWC 2025 tournament. Note that Astrea, ByuN, HeRoMaRiNe, and Lambo will start their journeys at the Play-In Stage.

Players to Watch

• Clément "Clem" Desplanches: As the reigning EWC Champion, everybody will be out to get Clem. Can the French Terran complete back-to-back feats by securing another trophy this time around? After practicing a ton of Protoss ahead of the EWC to avoid volatile TvT matchups, Clem will want no surprises as he sets his sights on the title.
• Joona "Serral" Sotala: No Western player in SC2 history can match Serral's career, and there is no doubt the Finnish Zerg player will be one of the biggest favorites once more at the Esports World Cup 2025.
• Cho "Maru" Seong-ju: Before Clem started contesting for the title, Maru was without a doubt the best Terran player in SC2. After lifting the DreamHack Dallas trophy back in May, Maru will want to bring some of that fire back into the EWC to reclaim his throne.
• Kim "herO" Joon-ho: After becoming the first Protoss player to lift a GSL trophy in years, herO heads into the EWC as the sole Protoss hope at the tournament. Can the South Korean continue his great run of form, or will someone else rise to the challenge?

Prize Pool

For StarCraft II, the prize pool at the EWC 2025 will be 30% smaller than it was at last year's tournament. Despite this, SC2 players at the EWC will still be competing to see who takes the largest part of an incredible $700,000 prize pool. In the end, however, all qualified players will leave with a piece of the pie.

Here's a breakdown of how the prize money will be distributed:

• 1st place: $200,000
• 2nd place: $100,000
• 3rd place: $60,000
• 4th place: $40,000
• 5th-8th places: $30,000 each
• 9th-12th places: $22,500 each
• 13th-16th places: $17,500 each
• 17th place: $12,500
• 18th place: $7,500

Where to Watch the EWC

The EWC 2025 promises to deliver some of the highest levels of StarCraft II to our screens once more, and you won't want to miss a second of it. All of the action will be livestreamed on the official Twitch and YouTube channels of the Esports World Cup, starting Tuesday, July 22nd!

To find out more about the Esports World Cup 2025, make sure to check out our guide.

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

Featured image credit: Esports World Cup

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