Esports World Cup being accused of not paying players and staff

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is being accused of not paying all staff, teams, players and talent that contributed to its inaugural edition in 2024.

According to a report by Esports.net from February 27th, several anonymous sources have alleged that they are yet to receive payments from the event’s organisers.

The missing payments allegedly include prize payouts, invoices for production staff and talent, payments for social media posts and other services. Esports.net further shared that it could confirm missing payouts for Apex Legends, Tekken, PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), with multiple sources claiming that MLBB publisher MOONTON had put pressure on affected individuals to not speak out about the missing payouts.

Moreover, Esports.net’s sources shared the sentiment that the EWC prioritised more ‘important’ games as well as ‘higher profile’ teams and talent during the payment process. Not only the tournament’s main organiser, the EWC Foundation, but also the secondary organiser, ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and EFG parent company, Savvy Games Group, were accused of failing to adequately reimburse affected individuals.

According to Esports.net, experienced EFG contractors ‘highlighted a culture of delayed payment, requests for updates were often met with silence or delayed replies.’ However, the esports news coverage site noted that many affected parties still hope to work for the EWC’s 2025 edition.

“Some sources pointed to the fact they had no choice but to work with the EWC if they wished to continue working in esports,” the report continued.

After contacting the EWC regarding the allegations, Esports.net received the following statement: “Over 99% of the payments have already been paid, including $60m of the total prize pool for over 400 participating teams in various jurisdictions and financial systems.

We are working with all involved parties to finalize the remaining transactions as quickly as possible, but while the overwhelming majority of payments have been processed, minor delays can occasionally occur due to bank processing times, administrative checks, or recipient verification. The Esports World Cup remains fully committed to ensuring all payments to our talent, production partners, Clubs and players are completed, as we continue to support the growth of the esports ecosystem globally and work towards its long-term sustainability.”

Afterwards, several sources confirmed that they had been paid, while others still reported a lack of reimbursement and communication from EWC’s side.

Taking place from June 28th until August 25th last year, the inaugural edition of the EWC was promoted as a historic moment for esports. The Saudi Arabian government-backed esports festival hosted competitions in 19 disciplines for a combined prize pool of $60m (~£45.4M).

However, some voices within esports view the increasing influence of the Saudi Arabian government critically due to the country’s human rights violations. The concerns particularly relate to the lack of women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and protection from censorship in the country.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group has acquired numerous esports and gaming stakeholders, most notably ESL and FACEIT. Since their acquisition and merger into the EFG in 2022, the company has reduced its workforce by 15%, affecting between 250 and 300 people.

According to The Esports Advocate, the latest round of layoffs in February was due to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund aiming for EFG to achieve profitability by the end of 2025.