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The Esports World Cup 2025 isn’t just a tournament, it’s an entire cultural crossover. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Post Malone, discover how celebrity power is reshaping the future of esports.
When we talk about esports, we often picture pro gamers, packed arenas, and pixel-perfect plays. But the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC) is pushing the narrative further by adding celebrity firepower. From featuring chess grandmasters to a football legend and even a music superstar, the upcoming EWC isn't just a tournament - it's a cultural moment.
This fusion of sports, entertainment, and gaming signals a bold shift: esports is no longer just a niche competitive ecosystem. It's becoming mainstream, social, and personality-driven. So what exactly are these non-endemic celebrities bringing to the table?
Who's Joining The Esports World Cup?
Brand mentions in esports are any verbal, written, or visual references to a brand during esports content - whether it’s a live match, a streamer’s broadcast, a post-match interview, or even a casual social media post. Unlike traditional advertisements, mentions often feel more organic, coming naturally from players, casters, or creators that fans trust. During a Valorant stream, a player from Team Liquid casually shouts, “Let’s win this for Monster Energy!” while holding up a can. That spontaneous shoutout creates an authentic connection between the brand, the player, and thousands of viewers - making it far more memorable than a static logo on the stream overlay.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo will serve as the Global Brand Ambassador of the Esports World Cup 2025. This is not the first time the superstar has collaborated with the Esports World Cup Federation as he worked with the organization on their previous event as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo brings unmatched global visibility to the Esports World Cup, drawing millions of football fans into the world of competitive gaming. His presence adds mainstream credibility to esports, elevating it alongside traditional sports. More than just a name, he symbolizes the growing fusion of athletic excellence and digital entertainment.
We asked our LinkedIn audience what they think is the biggest impact of this collaboration. Here's how they responded:
Magnus Carlsen & Hikaru Nakamura
Both Magnus Carlsen & Hikaru Nakamura are participating in the Chess category of the Esports World Cup. Magnus Carlsen has been picked up by Team Liquid, while Hikaru will represent Team Falcons.
Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura bring a fresh kind of energy to the Esports World Cup - one rooted in strategy, smarts, and massive online followings. They're not just chess champions; they're streaming stars who know how to entertain and engage. Their presence shows that esports isn't just about fast clicks, it's about brainpower, personality, and connecting with a global audience.
Post Malone
Post Malone will headline the opening ceremony of the Esports World Cup 2025. Even though he's known for his record-breaking hits, Post Malone is also a part-owner of the American esports organization, Envy Gaming.
Post Malone brings a unique mix of star power and authentic gaming passion to the Esports World Cup. As the headliner of the opening ceremony in Riyadh, he helps bridge the worlds of music, gaming, and pop culture, showing that esports is now mainstream entertainment. His genuine love for gaming and past involvement with esports make his presence feel natural, attracting fans who might not usually tune in to competitive gaming.
Relive Post Malone’s Opening-Ceremony Set
The genre-bending superstar opened EWC 2025 with an 18-minute medley of chart-toppers (“Circles,” “Wow,” “Sunflower”) before premiering “Til My Fingers Bleed,” the tournament’s official anthem, alongside DINO (SEVENTEEN), Duckwrth and Telle Smith. The collaboration—mixing K-pop vocals, hip-hop flow and rock grit—embodied EWC’s mission to fuse music, gaming and global fandom into one pop-culture moment.
New music heavy-hitters
Before the casters call “game on,” the soundtrack is already rewriting the playbook.
Swedish EDM titan Alesso, electric-cello virtuoso Tina Guo, K-pop dynamo DINO (SEVENTEEN), genre-bending rapper Duckwrth, and rock front-man Telle Smith bring another ≈ 72 million social followers into the arena—spanning dance floors, K-pop stages, hip-hop clubs and mosh pits. Together they transform the EWC 2025 stage into a global music festival disguised as an esports tournament.
Takeaway: The music slate alone covers EDM, hip-hop, K-pop, rock and even classical crossover- turning the opening ceremony into a Coachella-meets-Champions-League moment.
What this means for brands and sponsors
- Mainstream coverage unlocks new inventory
- News outlets that rarely touch esports will cover household names—multiplying earned media.
- Fresh fan funnels
- K-pop stans, chess communities and EDM ravers are distinct tribes. Each new star brings a ready-made funnel of engaged eyeballs.
- Legitimisation & prestige
- A Ronaldo handshake or a Post Malone stage-shot carries cultural capital traditional sponsors understand.
- More sponsor categories on deck
- Music labels, fashion lines and lifestyle brands now have a credible reason to activate around esports.
Final Thought
EWC 2025 isn’t just a tournament; it’s the world’s biggest pop-culture mash-up, where checkmates, hat-tricks, and platinum hits share the same scoreboard. If you’re a sponsor, the question isn’t whether to get involved, but which fandom you want to unlock first.
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