The Apex Legends tournament at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh delivered a gripping opener to this year’s multi title festival. After four days of pool play, a last chance survival gauntlet, and a tense Match Point finale, China’s VK Gaming lifted the trophy and wrote a new chapter for the ALGS. The victory capped a weekend of packed Arenas, high level IGL calls, and late game heroics that swung wildly across nine finals maps.
Event fast facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 10 to July 13, 2025 |
| City and venue | Boulevard Riyadh City, Qiddiya Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Format | 40 teams. Pool Play then Last Chance. Top 20 play a Match Point final. First team to reach 50 points and win a game takes the title |
| Prize pool | 2,000,000 USD |
| Organizers | EA, Respawn Entertainment, Esports World Cup Foundation |
| Maps in rotation | World’s Edge, Storm Point, E District, Broken Moon |
Format and schedule at a glance
Two groups of 20 played ten maps each. The top seven from each group advanced directly to the Grand Finals. Teams ranked 8 to 17 moved into a ten game Last Chance stage where six more teams claimed Grand Finals slots. The Match Point final featured 20 squads on a running tally. Once a team crossed 50 points, it became eligible to win the title with a first place finish in any subsequent map.
Participants
Forty teams qualified through the four regional Pro Leagues and the inaugural ALGS Open, yielding a field that mixed established brands with rising rosters. Below is a snapshot by region.
Americas: Team Falcons, Ninjas in Pyjamas, 100 Thieves, TSM, ROC Esports, Team Liquid, NRG, Shopify Rebellion, FURIA, Virtus.pro, Sentinels and more.
EMEA: Alliance, Natus Vincere, Team Nemesis, Gaimin Gladiators, MOUZ, GoNext, Zero Tenacity, Ronin.
APAC North: Fnatic, ENTER FORCE.36, KINOTROPE, Crazy Raccoon, SBI e Sports, NOEZ FOXX, RRX, UNLIMIT.
APAC South: VK Gaming, Gen.G Esports, Wolves Esports, Rival Esports, S8UL Esports, Al Qadsiah, JD Gaming, EDward Gaming.
Result
VK Gaming claimed the championship in nine maps, becoming the first Chinese team to win an Apex Legends global title. Their finals tally reached 96 points with 46 kills. ROC Esports finished second on 87 points, while Ninjas in Pyjamas secured third with 85 points. Gen.G rounded out the top four. The win included 600,000 USD in prize money and 1,000 Club Championship points for VK Gaming. It was also a landmark for the country’s scene, celebrated in Chinese media as the nation’s first Apex world title.
Grand Finals standings
Top 20 from the Match Point final.
| Place | Team | Kills | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VK Gaming | 46 | 96 |
| 2 | ROC Esports | 46 | 87 |
| 3 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 41 | 85 |
| 4 | Gen.G | 34 | 74 |
| 5 | Wolves Esports | 35 | 72 |
| 6 | Team Falcons | 32 | 65 |
| 7 | 100 Thieves | 29 | 57 |
| 8 | Team Nemesis | 29 | 57 |
| 9 | ENTER FORCE.36 | 30 | 46 |
| 10 | Fnatic | 25 | 44 |
| 11 | Alliance | 35 | 44 |
| 12 | Sentinels | 16 | 40 |
| 13 | Rival Esports | 27 | 40 |
| 14 | TSM | 21 | 37 |
| 15 | S8UL | 20 | 36 |
| 16 | Team Liquid | 11 | 35 |
| 17 | NAVI | 13 | 35 |
| 18 | Outsiders | 21 | 32 |
| 19 | FURIA | 10 | 20 |
| 20 | KINOTROPE Gaming | 15 | 20 |
Prize split and Club Championship points
| Placement | Prize (USD) | Club Championship points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 600,000 | 1,000 |
| 2nd | 300,000 | 750 |
| 3rd | 200,000 | 500 |
| 4th | 150,000 | 300 |
How VK Gaming won it
VKGaming opened the Grand Finals with a tone setting Game 1 win and kept themselves inside striking range all afternoon. The climax arrived in Game 9, once multiple squads had reached eligibility on 50 points. VK closed out the lobby with the composure you expect from a team that had done the prep. The sequence included disciplined mid game rotations into strong end zones and decisive team fighting to secure the final wipe.
A telling stat is how razor thin the kill race was at the top. VK and ROC tied for the finals lead at 46 eliminations each, with Ninjas in Pyjamas five behind on 41. That parity is typical of Match Point endgames where leaders attract pressure while chasing teams are forced to opt into high risk fights to trigger eligibility.
Highlights and storylines
- Eight teams reached match point. In other words, eight squads crossed the 50 point threshold and queued up for the winner takes all moment before VK Gaming sealed it in Game 9. That illustrates the balance of power at this LAN and how quickly momentum swung from map to map.
- Home region pressure and pride. Saudi based Team Falcons rode loud support and raw mechanical talent to sixth. A finals win would have been a storybook start to the festival but their consistency still kept them in the title conversation until the closing circle.
- Americas powerhouses did not have it all their way. 100 Thieves and TSM finished seventh and fourteenth. Alliance and Fnatic, EMEA staples, landed in the middle of the pack at eleventh and tenth. The spread underscores the parity across regions.
- China’s breakthrough. Local and international outlets framed VK’s triumph as China’s first Apex world title. The moment matters beyond points and prize money. It validates the country’s investment in the title and should spur further roster building across Chinese orgs.
- Club Championship stakes. VK’s 1,000 Club points instantly put the organization on the EWC leaderboard. Placement points cascade to ROC, NiP and Gen.G as well, feeding into the multi week race to crown the top overall esports club.
How the meta and maps shaped play
The four map rotation meant teams had to manage wildly different macro puzzles. World’s Edge rewarded classic contest planning and late game LOS denial. Storm Point demanded long rotations with careful timing through open ground. E District introduced fresh urban brawls with brutal third party risk. Broken Moon tilted toward faster tempo transitions between POIs. Strong IGLs funneled all of that into safe, repeatable pathways to end zones rather than relying on coin flip contests.
On a lobby level, that Variety helped prevent any single playstyle from smothering the field. It also explained the finals churn at match point. In one map a bunker heavy setup held a ring at range. In the next, speed and entry utility cracked stacked buildings. The teams that thrived were the ones that adapted their comps and rotations to the day’s circle pulls rather than forcing a one size script.
What the result means
For VK Gaming. The champions collect 600,000 USD, lock in 3,000 Championship Points toward the ALGS season total, and earn a guaranteed ticket to the ALGS Championship. It is a massive validation for a roster that was not universally tipped as a favorite coming in. The win also moves VK into the EWC Club Championship conversation immediately.
For the chasing pack. ROC Esports’ runners up finish was a statement for a newer name on the global stage. Ninjas in Pyjamas looked disciplined and dangerous across the day. Gen.G’s fourth place combined with a game stealing clutch in the late stages reminded everyone how deep the APAC talent pool runs. Wolves, Falcons, 100 Thieves and Nemesis rounded out a densely packed top eight that will head into Split 2 with momentum.
For ALGS Year 5. The Midseason Playoffs at EWC slotted neatly into the revamped calendar and doubled prize money compared to the initial plan for this stop. It also gave the World Cup’s club format a headline win for a non Western organization on opening weekend. With Split 2 Pro League set to begin in late August, roster changes and meta tweaks will be immediate storylines.
Looking ahead
The Esports World Cup runs through late August with dozens of titles still to come. The Club Championship will continue to fluctuate as more games reach their finals. Within ALGS, attention now turns to Pro League Split 2 and the race to the season ending Championship. Expect analysts to revisit E District pathing, re evaluate contest priorities on World’s Edge, and debate whether this weekend proved the value of flexible comps over stubborn comfort picks.
Apex Legends Esports World Cup 2025 – FAQ
When and where was the Apex Legends Esports World Cup 2025 held?
The event took place from July 10 to July 13, 2025, at the Qiddiya Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
How many teams participated in the tournament?
A total of 40 teams from around the world qualified through regional Pro Leagues and the ALGS Open.
Who won the Apex Legends Esports World Cup 2025?
VK Gaming from China won the championship, becoming the first Chinese team to win an Apex Legends global title.
What was the final top three placement?
- VK Gaming – 96 points
- ROC Esports – 87 points
- Ninjas in Pyjamas – 85 points
What was the total prize pool for the event?
The total prize pool was 2,000,000 USD.
How much did the winners earn?
VK Gaming earned 600,000 USD and 1,000 Club Championship points.
How did the tournament format work?
The event had Pool Play with two groups of 20 teams each, followed by a Last Chance stage. The Grand Finals used a Match Point format where teams had to reach 50 points and win a match to secure the title.
How many maps were in the rotation?
Four maps were played – World’s Edge, Storm Point, E District, and Broken Moon.
What made this win historic?
It marked the first time a Chinese team claimed a global Apex Legends championship.
How many teams reached Match Point in the Grand Finals?
Eight teams reached the 50-point threshold, making them eligible to win in the closing matches.
