With Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen as its global faces, the Esports World Cup returned for its third edition on Wednesday, officially kicking off in Paris with a grand opening ceremony at La Seine Musicale.
The seven-week tournament, being held outside Riyadh for the first time, has brought together more than 2,000 players from 200 clubs and over 100 countries. They will compete across 25 tournaments in 24 games for a record-breaking prize pool of $75 million.
The opening ceremony combined music, storytelling, and Parisian culture, with performances from French artists Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, Theodora, and Mosimann. A key moment was the unveiling of the Club Championship trophy, with representatives from top esports organisations taking the stage to mark the start of the competition.