- Honor of Kings Makes a Grand Return for the 2025 Esports World Cup
- Eighteen Top Teams Set to Compete for the Championship
- The Grand Final Showdown Is Scheduled for August 16th
The 2025 Esports World Cup is shaping up to be a landmark event for mobile esports. With PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang already confirmed, this summer’s contest in Riyadh promises elite competition and massive prize pools. Now, Honor of Kings has joined the lineup with a major announcement of its own.
As part of a new three-year partnership with the EWC, the Honor of Kings World Cup returns featuring a $3 million prize pool and an expanded format designed to include more teams and more intense action. The tournament begins on July 15th and concludes on July 26th, welcoming 18 top squads from around the globe, including dominant contenders from the King Pro League and Asian Champions League.
The competition starts with a Group Stage involving 16 teams, divided into four double-elimination brackets. Only the first-place team from each group secures a direct berth to the Playoffs. The second-place finishers from each group advance to a Last Chance bracket, where they will compete for the final two spots in the final stage.

Matches in the early stages will be played in best-of-three and best-of-five formats, culminating in the Playoffs where the reigning KPL and ACL champions await. The Grand Final, scheduled for August 16th, will be a best-of-seven series, with a third-place match also featured on the final day.
Want to build the ultimate team for tournaments like this? Check out our Honor of Kings tier list, where every character is ranked based on their competitive strength.
Qualifiers for this year's World Cup are already progressing across multiple regions. Top squads from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East will earn their tickets to Riyadh, with teams from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and more confirming their participation throughout May and June.
If you're ready to test your skills, you can download Honor of Kings for free right now by using one of the links below. The game is free-to-play with optional in-app purchases. For complete details, please visit the official website.