All Results from Esports World Cup 2025 Week 3

EWC WEEK 3 all winners: Serral, Optic, AG.AL (Image Credit: EWC)

Week 3 of the Esports World Cup 2025 wrapped up on July 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking a significant midpoint in this massive global esports spectacle.

With tournaments spread across multiple titles and genres, the week delivered thrilling matches, historic milestones, and important qualifications for the upcoming final stages.

From debut titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Chess, Honor of Kings, to returning classics, PUBG Mobile, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, the competition was fierce.

Let’s dive into everything that happened from July 22 to 27, 2025.

All Results from Week 3 of EWC 2025

Black Ops 6: OpTic Gaming Makes History

Optic Gaming

Call of Duty’s newest chapter, Black Ops 6, made its Esports World Cup debut with OpTic Gaming take a final shot. The team showcased near-flawless synergy and tactical execution throughout the week, ultimately sweeping Vancouver Surge 4-0 in the Grand Final to lift the championship trophy.

The win also netted them $600,000 out of the $1.8 million total prize pool and punched their ticket to the 2026 EWC.

OpTic came into the event as favorites, especially after recently winning the COD Champs, and they delivered on all fronts.

Shotzzy stood out with a series of MVP-level performances, while the team’s cohesion, particularly in Search & Destroy rounds, left little room for opponents to breathe.

According to Esports Charts, the event reached a peak viewership of 269,000, reflecting growing global interest in the competitive COD scene. More details are here.

Honor of Kings: AG.AL Completes a Wild Reverse Sweep

AG.AL

One of the most thrilling matches of the entire week came from the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025. AG.AL International squared off against TT Global in a tense 7-game series that swung back and forth before ending in an epic 4-3 comeback.

TT Global looked set to take it all, going up 3-1 in the series. But AG.AL wasn’t going down without a fight. The team shifted gears into a more macro-heavy approach, slowed the pace, and executed perfectly in the final three games.

Zoe, who was named Finals MVP, stepped up massively and helped turn the tide in AG.AL’s favor.

With $3 million on the line, AG.AL walked away with $750,000 for first place, while TT Global earned $460,000 for their impressive run. Nova Esports and Twisted Minds rounded out the top four.

The viewership numbers were equally impressive—Esports Charts reported over 653,000 peak viewers and 3.6 million hours watched. Read all about it here.

StarCraft II: Serral Secures Third World Title

Serral SC2 winner

If there’s one name that consistently comes up in StarCraft II conversations, it’s Joona "Serral" Sotala—and for good reason. The Finnish superstar added yet another world title to his collection by taking the crown at this year’s Esports World Cup.

Serral went completely undefeated throughout the event, and capped off his run with a 5-2 win over South Korea’s Classic in the Grand Final.

The tournament featured 18 of the world’s best players, competing in Legacy of the Void, and the format gave fans plenty of high-level gameplay across both group and knockout stages.

Serral’s win earned him $200,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points for Team BASILISK. Classic took home $100,000 for second place, with Cure and Solar grabbing third and fourth.

Interestingly, viewership for SC2 is on the rise. Compared to last year, numbers were up 31%, peaking around 80,000 viewers—especially during the Serral vs. Classic showdown. Read all about it here.

PUBG Mobile: Group Stage Ends, Survival Awaits

Over in the PUBG Mobile World Cup, things got intense during the group stage, which ran from July 25 to 27. The goal here was simple: place in the top 8 and book a ticket straight to the Grand Finals. Everyone else? Well, they’re heading to the brutal Survival Stage next.

Here’s how the top 8 stacked up:

Rank	Team	Points
1	Alter Ego (ID)	121
2	4Thrives Esports	111
3	DRX	89
4	Weibo Gaming	89
5	Alpha Gaming	86
6	Team Secret	86
7	ThunderTalk Gaming	83
8	IDA Esports	83

These teams can now breathe a little easier, having secured their place in the finals. But for the rest—including big names like Alpha7 Esports (last year’s champs), India’s Team AxTMG, and POWR Esports—it’s do-or-die next week. Only eight more spots are up for grabs. These 16 teams are as follows:

1. Regnum Carya

2. NS RedForce

3. Yangon Galacticos

4. Alpha7 Esports

5. Horaa Esports

6. POWR eSports

7. Team AxTMG

8. Team Vision

9. eArena

10. INFLUENCE RAGE

11. R8 Esports 

12. INTENSE GAME

13. Fire Flux Esports

14. Team Falcons 

15. KINOTROP 

16. Team GAMAX

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Knockouts Are Set

MLBB’s Mid-Season Cup also concluded its group stage this week, featuring 16 top teams divided into two groups. The format used a double-elimination Bo3 setup, which meant every match counted—and mistakes were costly.

The eight teams advancing to the Knockout Stage are:

From Group A:

• Team Liquid PH

• Mythic SEAL

• SRG.OG

• ONIC

From Group B:

• Team Spirit

• RRQ Hoshi

• Aurora Türkiye

• ONIC Philippines

The Knockouts kick off on July 30, with all matches being Bo5 and the Grand Final set as a Bo7 showdown. Seeding was based on win-loss time ratios, so fans can expect some strong matchups right from the start.

Chess – Four More Join the Main Event

While not always the flashiest esport, chess made its presence felt this week with the conclusion of the Last Chance Qualifiers. The $1.5 million tournament is being held in collaboration with Chess.com and is shaping up to be a highlight of the Esports World Cup.

Four players made it through the qualifiers:

• Anish Giri

• Levon Aronian

• Nihal Sarin

• Javokhir Sindarov

They join 12 others from the 2025 Champions Chess Tour, including: Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Wei Yi.

Chess top 16 now

Here’s what the format looks like:

• Group Stage (July 29–30): Four groups of four; top two move on

• Playoffs (July 31–Aug 1): Quarterfinals, semis, and third-place match

• Match Format: 10+0 rapid with Armageddon tiebreakers

It’s a fast-paced, viewer-friendly format that’s ideal for streaming—and brings classical minds to a digital battlefield.

Final Thoughts: Week 3 Delivered Big, Week 4 Looks Even Bigger

From OpTic’s domination in Black Ops 6 to AG.AL’s emotional Honor of Kings comeback and Serral’s continued StarCraft legacy, Week 3 of the Esports World Cup 2025 packed in one unforgettable moment after another.

With over $70 million in total prize money and 24 games in rotation, this tournament just keeps raising the stakes.

The next phase includes survival brackets, elimination rounds, and several Grand Finals—so expect more drama, rivalries, and championship runs to unfold.

Stay tuned—Week 4’s going to be a rollercoaster.