You know what’s fascinating about esports? Sometimes the teams that make the biggest splash aren’t the ones hoisting trophies at the end. The inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh was a perfect example of this, while Team Falcons walked away with the Club Championship title and that sweet $7 million prize, the battle for viewers told a completely different story.
The event drew over 500 million viewers across all competitions, but when we dive into the core competitive titles (sorry, Battle Royale fans, you’re not included in this ranking), some unexpected heroes emerged from the viewership data.
Underdogs Who Stole Our Hearts
5. Aurora Gaming – The Serbian Sensation
Let’s start with probably the most surprising entry on this list. Aurora Gaming, a relatively young organization founded just three years ago, absolutely punched above their weight class. While they couldn’t crack the top ten in championship points, they somehow managed to capture the fifth-highest viewership numbers of the entire festival.
How did they pull this off? Simple, they showed up everywhere and made it count. Their Dota 2 squad battled their way into playoffs, chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi carried their banner to the quarterfinals, and they pulled off a stunning upset against ONIC Philippines in the MLBB Mid-Season Cup. But the real showstopper? Their Counter-Strike 2 team made an absolutely bonkers run all the way to the finals.
It just goes to show that sometimes, people love a good underdog story more than they love predictable dominance.
4. Team Falcons – Champions with a Viewing Problem
Here’s where things get interesting. Team Falcons, fresh off their second consecutive Club Championship victory, find themselves in fourth place for viewership. Wait, what?
Don’t get me wrong, they were everywhere, reaching finals in Dota 2 and Chess, making deep runs in CS2 and Rocket League. They accumulated 4,435 points to secure their championship, proving their consistency across multiple titles. But here’s the catch: a huge chunk of their viewership came from Battle Royale competitions, which aren’t counted in this ranking. Plus, they missed out on the later stages of Mobile Legends, which, as we’ll see, was absolutely massive for viewer numbers.
It’s a perfect example of how being good at everything doesn’t always translate to capturing the most attention.
3. Selangor Red Giants OG Esports – The One-Hit Wonder
Now this is what I call putting all your eggs in one basket and having it pay off spectacularly. Selangor Red Giants OG Esports (yes, that’s their full name, they really went for it) earned their third-place spot almost entirely thanks to one incredible Mobile Legends run.
Their Cinderella story in MLBB was the stuff of legends. They fought their way into playoffs and then went on an absolutely magical run that ended with a Grand Final appearance. The cherry on top? They took down the mighty ONIC Philippines in the semifinals, which had fans absolutely losing their minds.
The MLBB Mid-Season Cup reached 2.38 million peak viewers, and Selangor Red Giants was right in the middle of all that hype. Sometimes, one perfect moment on the biggest stage beats consistent performances across multiple smaller ones.
The Heavy Hitters
2. Team Liquid – The Calculated Giants
Team Liquid knows how to play the game both literally and figuratively. As one of the biggest names in esports, they entered squads in practically everything and found success across the board.
Their secret weapon? The MLBB Mid-Season Cup championship run, which generated over 60% of their total watch time. Having chess superstar Magnus Carlsen under their banner didn’t hurt either the guy’s a viewership magnet wherever he goes.
Here’s a fun fact: if Battle Royale events were included in this ranking, Team Liquid would actually drop to third place. Their BR teams performed well, but other organizations absolutely dominated that space. It’s a reminder that in esports, specialization can sometimes trump diversification.
1. ONIC Esports – The Master Strategists
And here we have our champions of the attention economy. ONIC Esports didn’t win the most tournaments, but they absolutely nailed the viewership game with what I can only describe as strategic brilliance.
Their masterstroke? Having not one, but TWO powerhouse Mobile Legends squads – one from the Philippines and one from Indonesia. ONIC Esports played 291 total matches across their various teams, but it was this MLBB double-header that really paid off.
Both teams made deep runs in the tournament, which meant ONIC was guaranteed to be part of some of the most-watched matches. The ultimate payoff came when their two squads faced each other in the third-place match, Philippines versus Indonesia in a nail-biting 3-2 series that had the entire mobile esports community glued to their screens.
It was pure genius: instead of spreading their resources thin across multiple games, they went all-in on the title that draws the biggest crowds and made sure they couldn’t lose.
The Bigger Picture
What does all this tell us about the current state of esports? Mobile Legends events are absolutely dominating viewership numbers, with the M6 World Championship recording over 4 million peak viewers, making it clear that mobile esports isn’t just the future it’s the present.
The EWC viewership rankings reveal something fascinating about the attention economy in competitive gaming. It’s not enough to be good at everything; you need to be spectacular at the right things. Whether that’s Aurora Gaming’s underdog journey capturing hearts, or ONIC’s strategic double-team approach maximizing their presence in the most-watched game, success in the viewership game requires different tactics than success in competition.
For organizations looking to build their brand and capture audiences, the lesson is clear: sometimes it’s better to make a massive splash in one pool than to make small ripples in many. In an era where attention is the ultimate currency, knowing where to focus your efforts can make all the difference between being remembered and being forgotten.
The 2024 Esports World Cup proved that while trophies are nice, capturing hearts and eyeballs might be even more valuable in the long run.
Adrian Kovacs 
Lex Northbyte 
Elias Rowe