Saudi Arabia is once again feeling generous with advancing the global esports scene. This time, it’s with the six-figure funding for eligible esports organizations through the Club Support Program. Particularly, this initiative by the Saudi-government-backed Esports World Cup Foundation aims to facilitate these organizations’ entry into new or previously unexplored esports genres. An attractive title for teams is, of course, Dota 2.
The Esports World Cup – Club Support Program (Image Credits: Esports World Cup)
Esports World Cup Foundation announces 30 teams for the Club Support Program
In an X post, the Esports World Cup Foundation unveiled the first 30 teams that are eligible for its substantial six-figure funding under the Club Support Program. This refined list was filtered from over 150 applicants, whereby they were selected based on their historical competitive success, future aspirations and goals, their approach to fan engagement and content, and also how they can contribute to the Esports World Cup’s success. For once, Team Secret and OG can thank their social media guy for maintaining their cult following.
We are welcoming 30 Esports Clubs from all around the world to the Esports World Cup Foundation Club Support Program! pic.twitter.com/iouUnBDMfG
— Esports World Cup (@ESWCgg) May 6, 2024
Eight of these teams were chosen through an open application process conducted earlier in Feb 2024 when the program was first announced.
Esports orgs in the Club Support Program (Image Credits: Esports World Cup)
Ralf Reichert, the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation has highlighted the importance of the Club Support Program to the foundation’s goal of strengthening the esports ecosystem and promoting esports as a global sport. The Club Support Program has highlighted that it wants the “Clubs” to focus on expanding to other esports titles.
What does it mean for Dota 2 Esports?
What’s interesting is that among the 30 organizations featured in EWC’s announcement, it features esports orgs that aren’t active in the Dota 2 scene. For instance, Faze Clan, FURIA, Karmine Corp, Gen.G, and more. These teams have a bigger footprint in other esports, namely CS2 and League of Legends. Yet, they never really got around to tap into the Dota 2 scene, for good reasons.
Throughout recent seasons, the Dota 2 esports scene has become less financially sustainable for orgs to participate, especially for mediocre-performing teams. Only the top sixteen teams typically horde the spotlight in major tournaments, and regional leagues run by Valve, just aren’t going to cut it. Moreover, many sponsors have slashed their advertising budget, which has a trickle effect on esports teams, which reportedly operated at a loss.
On a side note, it’s nice to see former Dota 2 teams, such as Ninjas in Pyjamas, T1, Fnatic, and Cloud9, in the list too. For what it’s worth, these teams left a historical mark during their prime Dota 2 runs.
Opportunities for amateur Dota 2 teams
We can expect funding initiative by the EWCF to encourage these prominent esports orgs to enter the Dota 2 scene by supporting young teams. This would not only increase the competition in pro-Dota 2 but also help sustain long-term careers for players in the sport.
Considering the rampant match-fixing in Dota 2 due to amateur players not being financially stable, this will hopefully also have a moral impact on our beloved esport.
As such, the Esports World Cup Foundation’s program aims to expand the esports ecosystem significantly, which will be particularly beneficial for Dota 2. This comes at a time when the scene is a ‘wild West’ with numerous third-party tournament organizers running their own shows.
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