StarCraft II Returns to the 2025 Esports World Cup: Full Schedule, Format, and How to Watch

Sagar Mankar
6 days ago
2 min read

Activision Blizzard’s legendary RTS title, StarCraft II, is officially coming back to the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025. The galaxy’s top 18 players will compete for dominance—and a share of the massive $700,000 prize pool.

From qualifiers to finals, here’s everything you need to know about the StarCraft II tournament at EWC 2025.

StarCraft II at the 2025 Esports World Cup

StarCraft II made its EWC debut in 2024 and quickly became a highlight. French Terran star Clément "Clem" Desplanches dominated the tournament, defeating Joona "Serral" Sotala with a clean 5-0 sweep in the Grand Finals.

The event was a massive success, drawing over 1.2 million viewers, with a peak of 60,884 during the Clem vs. Serral Grand Final, per Esports Charts. This made it the second most-watched StarCraft II event in 2024 at that time, just behind IEM Katowice.

Due to its strong community and legacy, StarCraft II will return in 2025 as one of the main titles. According to EWC organizers: “As one of the most popular RTS titles in history and one of the OG esports to go mainstream, StarCraft II has a legacy that the EWC is honored to be a part of.”

What’s the Prize Pool for StarCraft II at EWC 2025?

The StarCraft II prize pool at EWC 2025 is set at $700,000. This is a reduction from the $1,000,000 prize pool in 2024, where winner Clem earned $400,000.

StarCraft II at EWC 2025: Format

Here’s how the StarCraft II tournament will unfold:

Qualifiers

Players earn their spot through regional events and major competitions:

Korea Online Qualifier: 1 player
Europe Online Qualifier: 1 player
Americas Online Qualifier: 1 player
Asia Online Qualifier: 1 player
DreamHack Dallas: 4 players
2025 GSL Season 1: 1 player
2025 GSL Season 2: 1 player
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora: 1 player
EWC Global Online Qualifier: 4 players
Defending Champion: Clément "Clem" Desplanches receives a direct invite

Total: 18 qualified players

Play-In Stage

A GSL-style group stage with four players to determine initial seeding or advancement.

Group Stage

Two groups of 8 players each compete in a double-elimination bracket.

All matches are best-of-five (Bo5).

The winner of each group advances to the Final Four, while second-place players compete for an additional Final Four spot.

Playoff Stage

A single-elimination bracket with the top eight players. Matches are best-of-three (Bo3), except for the Finals (Bo5), Semifinals (Bo7), and Grand Final (Bo9).

EWC 2025 StarCraft II Schedule

Here’s a complete breakdown of important dates:

Pre-Tournament Qualifiers

May 23–25: DreamHack Dallas
May 28–30: Americas & Asia Online Qualifiers
May 28–June 1: Korea & Europe Online Qualifiers
June 4–7: Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora
June 14–15: Global EWC Online Qualifier

Main Event

July 22: Play-In Stage
July 22–24: Group Stage
July 24: Finals Begin
July 25: Grand Final & Champion Crowned

How to Watch StarCraft II at the Esports World Cup

You can catch all the action live via:

Twitch.tv/EWC – Watch live broadcasts and chat with the community
YouTube (@EWC) – View match VODs and highlight recaps after each game