Spirit are the first team invited to Esports World Cup

IEM Katowice 2024 champions Spirit have been the first team invited to the Esports World Cup thanks to their victory in Poland over the weekend.

Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the new event is the spiritual successor to last year's Gamers8 tournament, which saw several top Counter-Strike teams participate. Vitality would win the Saudi event and, in doing so, came away with the spoils of the million-dollar prize pool.

Spirit have also earned invites to IEM Cologne and the BLAST Premier World Final thanks to their win.

The event was announced in late October 2023 with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman describing the event as a "natural next step in Saudi Arabia's journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports".

The Esports World Cup also comes following the acquisition of the Electronic Sports World Convention (ESWC) which the Esports World Cup Foundation now owns. The government-back Savvy Gaming Group had acquired ESL And FACEIT in a $1.5 billion dollar deal in a spending spree that in what critics call "sportswashing".

Teams, format, and schedule for the Esports World Cup has not yet been announced.