RIYADH: With five weeks now in the bag, the 2025 Esports World Cup is approaching the finish line with just two weeks to go.
The Club Championship leaders changed once again, as three more titles have been claimed during the last week, with Team Liquid also making history as the first club to win three EWC titles in one year as they claimed victory in EA Sports FC 25.
Team Secret secured victory against G2 Esports in a Europe vs Europe grand final. Team Secret had a flawless run-up to the grand finals, and with favorites Team Falcons being eliminated on day one, it was all to play for. A clean 3-0 victory for Team Secret in the grand final saw them sail ahead to secure the title.
Team Secret came into the tournament as Europe’s third seed, making their title run even more impressive. The victory also marks Team Secret’s first title at the Esports World Cup, and their first major trophy in Rainbow Six Siege.
Twisted Minds were able to see off a tough field of competitors to secure the title in Call of Duty: Warzone. The victory also saw the team’s storied roster claim their first LAN victory for all three players, despite their long-standing presence at the top of the Warzone scene. Aydan “Aydan” Conrad, Riley “zSmit” Smith, and Benjamin “Almond” Rosendahl all previously reached the podium at the inaugural Esports World Cup with different teams. They then formed a new roster, which has now successfully claimed the top position.
Twisted Minds secured victory in the 10th game of the series, having achieved match-point conditions earlier in the series during game six alongside rivals Virtus.pro. That set up the next four games as tense affairs, as more teams joined them on match point — and it all went down to the wire in the final game.
Team Liquid’s Dutch star Manuel “ManuBachoore” Bachoore lifted the FC Pro 25 World Championship trophy, becoming a two-time world champion in the process. He battled through the play-in stage, taking down many of the world’s top players to claim the title, as well as Team Liquid’s third title of this year’s EWC.
The match itself was a close one against Team Vitality’s Brice “Brice” Masson, with both players trading goals, and while ManuBachoore was leading 4-3 in the closing minutes of the game, Brice came close on so many occasions that it was a nail-biting finale. ManuBachoore managed to secure a late goal, easing the pressure, and with just minutes left, he ran the clock down to secure the win.
After Week 5, Team Liquid is back on top of the Club Championship table with 4,200 points, after their victory in EAFC 25. That win, combined with Team Falcons having a disappointing week where they only secured 200 points from three titles, was enough to push Liquid back to the top of the table.
Falcons underperforming has also had ramifications further down the table, with Team Vitality closing the gap on them to just 550 points. Now, with all three teams having multiple titles remaining, and the likes of Virtus.Pro and Twisted Minds having rosters in almost all the remaining games at EWC, the race for the Club Championship is wide open.
Meanwhile, In an EA FC 25 showmatch, two footballing icons, Ronaldo Nazario and Kaka, went head-to-head to find out who was the best on the virtual pitch. The two icons played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Esports World Cup, with the packed arena cheering the legends on.
The eventual winner was Kaka, though Ronaldo was quick to offer up a new challenge in defeat.
“I promise you, Kaka beat me in football, but in Call of Duty: Warzone I’ll beat him, for sure,” Ronaldo said during a recent episode of EWC Spotlight. “I remember recovering from my first injury, my knee. I remember doing physio and playing Call of Duty.”
Esports World Cup 2025 concludes with the New Global Sport Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh from Aug. 23-24.
