Esports World Cup 2026 purse rises to record $75 million

The Esports World Cup, the esports tournament series run by the nonprofit Esports Foundation and considered the largest professional esports event in the world by total prize pool, set a new record purse of $75 million for its 2026 edition, up from $71.5 million in 2025 and $62.5 million in 2024, spread across individual tournament prize pools, qualification rewards, MVP awards and a season-long Club Championship.

The event’s rapid growth traces back to its origins as Gamers Without Borders, a charity esports series with a $10 million prize pool, before expanding dramatically into a multi-title tournament featuring most of the world’s major esports games. The continued year-over-year increase in total prize money reflected broader investment across the esports industry that year, even as individual tournament organizers like Valve kept their own flagship events, including Dota 2’s The International, funded at a comparatively more modest base level.