Week 7 at EWC 2025: Counter-Strike, Crossfire, and Street Fighter 6 formats explained

Week 7 at the Esports World Cup is beginning. As EWC 2025 draws to a close, viewers finally get to experience the highly anticipated Counter-Strike showdown, accompanied by fellow tactical FPS Crossfire and fighting game classic, Street Fighter 6.

Here is all you need to know about what’s happening in Week 7 in Riyadh.

Counter-Strike at EWC 2025

Date: August 20-24

Prize Pool: $1,250,000 USD  (~£923,180 GBP)

First Place: $500,000 USD (~£369,250 GBP)

Format:

All participating Counter-Strike teams are invited through the VRS Global Rankings. TYLOO is the only exception, as they qualified through the Asian Champions League.  

Teams compete in a single-elimination playoff bracket. This means that there is no official Group Stage, and eliminations begin on day one of the tournament. There is, however, a third-place match to determine prize pool distribution.

All matches follow a best-of-three format, including the Grand Final and third-place decider.

After the tournament, every one of the 16 teams competing will receive prize money for their involvement in the tournament. Even the eight teams eliminated in 9th-16th place will receive $20,000 USD (~£14,770 GBP) for participating. 

Fresh off their IEM Cologne and BLAST Bounty wins, Team Spirit are one of the favourites to win the tournament on Counter-Strike betting sites. Their first game is against HEROIC, who have recently struggled on LAN stages, further boosting Team Spirit’s chances of Esports World Cup Victory. 

The full list of participating teams is as follows:

• Team Vitality 
• Team Spirit 
• Natus Vincere (NAVI) 
• FaZe Clan 
• Astralis 
• GamerLegion 
• Team Liquid 
• TYLOO 
• MOUZ
• The MongolZ 
• Aurora 
• Team Falcons 
• G2 Esports 
• 3DMAX 
• Virtus.pro 
• HEROIC

Team Falcons must step up at EWC 2025 if they are to have any hope in demonstrating performance improvements. Recent failures to reach the Playoffs stages at IEM Cologne and the BLAST Austin Major leave the roster desperate for redemption. 

Crossfire at EWC 2025

Date: August 19-23

Prize Pool: $2,000,000 USD (~£1,477,310 GBP)

First Place: $750,000 USD (~£553,810 GBP)

What is Crossfire? 

Crossfire is a lesser-known esports title in the UK. However, it does retain strong popularity elsewhere. Most of the players attending Crossfire at the Esports World Cup are from China, Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines. 

Released in 2007, Crossfire is an online tactical first-person shooter (FPS). 

Moreover, Crossfire shares some features with Counter-Strike. The esports rosters feature five players per team, and in a game, two teams compete against one another. Esports tournaments primarily use the bomb plant and defusal game mode. Other similarities with Counter-Strike include the involvement of grenades, smoke, and flash utility. 

The Esports World Cup will also follow the bomb plant and defusal Crossfire game mode. 

Format:

Crossfire at the EWC 2025’s Group Stage runs from August 19th to 21st. Teams are split into four groups. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Playoffs. All Group Stage matches are played in a best-of-three format.

Each Group follows the GSL format. Teams play opening matches and progress through their group’s double-elimination bracket, with winners, elimination, and decider matches to determine the top two teams. 

However, the Playoffs run from August 22nd to 23rd, and follow the traditional Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Grand Final format, with a third-place decider. The Grand Final is the only match played as a best-of-five.

Street Fighter 6 at EWC 2025

Date: August 20-23

Prize Pool: $1,000,000 USD (~£738,960 GBP)

First Place: $250,000 USD (~£184,740 GBP)

Format:

Street Fighter 6 at EWC 2025 runs across Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3, which is the Playoffs. 

During Phase 1, players are split into 12 groups of four players. All matches are first-to-three. Each group plays a double-elimination bracket to determine which players advance. Group winners proceed straight to Phase 3, the Playoffs. Runner-ups advance to Phase 2, while all remaining players are eliminated. 

Phase 2 features four groups of three players. All matches are first-to-three, and the groups are played in a single round-robin format. Group winners advance to Phase 3, the Playoffs. Following this stage, all remaining players are eliminated. 

If a round-robin ends in a tie, all matches within that group are played again. Then, the results of all involved players are compared from both round-robin runs to determine who advances. Where necessary, this will include the game and round win-loss difference. 

The Playoffs Stage, also referred to as Phase 3, is a classic playoffs bracket with a Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Grand Final. There will also be a third-place decider. All matches in Phase 3 are first-to-five.