RIYADH: The Esports World Cup Foundation said on Friday that “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” and “Call of Duty: Warzone” had been added to the games that will be part of the inaugural Esports World Cup this summer in Riyadh.
The EWC schedule consists of 22 competitions across 21 games, making it the largest multi-game e-sports tournament of all time.
EWCF’s CEO Ralf Reichert said: “By adding two amazing ‘Call of Duty’ games to EWC, we have cemented our promise to deliver the world’s best games to e-sports fans everywhere.
“‘Call of Duty’ is the final piece of our historic EWC 2024 schedule, and we are excited to welcome its athletes and global fanbase to Riyadh this summer.”
Since its original launch in 2003, the “Call of Duty” franchise has remained one of the world’s most popular video games. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” is one of the best-selling video games of 2023 in the US.
Published in March 2020, “Call of Duty: Warzone” found instant success as the franchise’s first entry into the battle royale genre. Both games feature robust e-sports ecosystems that engage fans in a variety of formats ranging from league-based play to open circuit competitions.
EWC will also host competitions in “Apex Legends,” “Counter-Strike 2,” “Dota 2,” “EA Sports FC 24,” “Fortnite,” “Free Fire,” “Honor of Kings,” “League of Legends,” “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,” “Overwatch 2,” “PUBG Battlegrounds,” “PUBG Mobile,” “ESL R1,” “Rocket League,” “StarCraft II,” “Street Fighter 6,” “Teamfight Tactics,” “TEKKEN 8” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.”
Each of the championships at EWC will have its own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million. By adding these two games, the EWCF has created additional opportunities for additional athletes to participate at the event and earn a piece of life-changing winnings.
During the tournament, the “Call of Duty: Warzone” competition, running Jul. 3-6, will feature 21 teams battling for a share of a $1 million prize pool, and the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” competition, Aug. 15-18, will have 16 teams vying for a $1.8 million prize pool.
Results in both competitions contribute points to the overall Club Championship rankings, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC.
Winners of at least one EWC game competition become eligible for the Club Championship’s top prize of $7 million (out of a $20 million pool to the top 16 clubs) and the prestigious title of Esports World Cup Club champion.

DUBAI: Palestinian swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab, who is training for the 2024 Olympic Games, has a mission. He wants to represent Palestinians suffering from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza by making a splash on the international stage.
These Olympics, which kick off in Paris on July 26, are perhaps more important than the last games in 2021 when he competed in Tokyo, he said.
“We, as Palestinian players, are here to raise the flag and show people that we are here, and even if we face difficulties, we will be there and represent the Palestinian people,” he said.
The 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza need all the help they can get as they endure dire conditions.
Israel agression on Gaza killed more than 37,000 people and reduced much of the Gaza Strip to rubble.
Bawwab, 24, who was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian refugees, is chasing a dream that is not his alone.
“My father’s dream was to learn how to swim and become a swimmer,” Al Bawwab told Reuters in Dubai, where he conducts his workouts and runs a furniture factory.
But his father, Rashad Al Bawwab, who left Palestinian territory when he was 18, was not able to realize that dream.
“I wanted Yazan to enter swimming, because I loved swimming and it’s a beautiful sport,” the senior Al Bawwab said.
His father said the upcoming games in Paris are an opportunity for his son to help the Palestinian cause.
“But what’s more important is that he represents an oppressed people, whose rights are repressed,” Rashad said.
Aside from the near constant bombardments, Palestinians in Gaza are suffering a humanitarian crisis, with severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Many of their homes have been destroyed.
Al Bawwab was born and raised outside of the Palestinian territories. But he says: “I remain Palestinian, Palestine is in my heart and all my thoughts.”
In Dubai, Al Bawwab trains by himself and with retired Palestinian Olympic swimmer Ahmed Gebrel, who represented Palestine at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Gebrel says: “I’m confident that he’s at the top level and will represent us in the best way.”
Al Bawwab will travel to an Olympic training camp in the Netherlands next week and then onto France. Ahead of the competition, his focus will be on three things — training, eating, and sleeping.
“Inshallah (God willing) we’ll win something, and make the country and the people proud,” he says.
“I want to show people that Palestinians are strong. If we’re given an opportunity, we’ll take it.”