League of Legends July 14, 2025
The second edition of Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh featured 12 of the best LoL teams competing against each other from July 16 to July 20 to win a part of the $2 million prize pool. Its structure was composed of two GSL-like leagues of four, followed by a knockout stage.
Top Contenders
Gen.G is the favorite. They come with the momentum and international gold of a back-to-back international champion still fresh after trouncing T1 (32) in the MSI Final on July 13.
T1, the 2024 defending EWC champion, had lost top-laner Zeus, but are still strong in the Olympics. They are serious contenders, as shown by their second-place finishes at MSI.
Hanwha Life Esports are the third seed of Korea and can be one to watch, having won the First Stand tournament and taken 4th place in the world.
AG.AL (previously Anyone Legends), now a LPL powerhouse, will be pushed to the limit against foreign giants.
Bilibili Gaming is also in the best shape within LPL and MSI. This team has depth and international experience, a major contender here.
Group of Life
The teams in Group A are FlyQuest, Cloud9, FURI, and G2 Esports, while Group B includes CTBC Flying Oyster, Hanwha Life Esports, Movistar KOI, and GAM Esports.
The western teams, such as G2 and FlyQues, have always shown great results on the regional level, however, they still need to prove that they can also show great performance internationally. FURIA and GAM are considered underdogs in most cases, with Cloud9 and KOI possibly turning the tables around in this case. As a reliable reviewer of esports betting sites, Sportytrader, hints at these groups as potential large payoff situations in which fans might want to back a surprise talent in the first phases of the tournament.
What to Watch
This promises a showdown between Korea and China. The read of Gen.G is worth watching in the playoffs, as they fight to retain their MSI and EWC titles. T1 will engage in a struggle to gain control, and HLE is aiming to break through. A drama of groups can set up a dramatic bracket at the finale on July 20.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Week of July 21
The Call of Duty event at EWC GI, comprising Black Ops 6, is set to be on July 24 – 27, with $1.8 million in prize money and 16 teams registered.
Format Overview
It begins with four rounds (GSL format), with the two best in each going to an 8-team single-elimination tournament, with a best-of-7 grand finale.
Leading Contenders
The influx of the pros of the Call of Duty League (CDL) represents franchise-based teams such as Atlanta FaZe (2024 champions) and OpTic Texas, making the league teams favorites.
Atlanta FaZe will aim to defend the title with the team made more experienced by the victory.
Ace, CDL champions of the 2024 season, OpTic Texas, are also doing well and will probably interfere with the top bracket spots
Improvised Tactical Overlays
Black 6 Ops adds old CoD modes such as Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, Control, and new map rotations (Hacienda, Rewind, Vault, and so on). The offline, high-stakes environment in the stadium in Riyadh, the supervision of the ESL, will pose a definite challenge to testing the composure and the ability of a team to adapt.
In a Nutshell…
The Esports World Cup in Riyadh is still a source of high-quality and dramatic gameplay in various genres. The realms of League of Legends are balanced in Gen.G, T1, and HLE. The dominance of CDL in CoD predetermines the scene of the battle, but the international offline pressure can always provide some twists.
