India, July 10 -- The first international edition of the world's largest esports gaming event - the Esports World Cup - began at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles here on Thursday.

Running through August 23, the EWC will see more than 2,000 elite players, 200 leading esports Clubs from over 100 countries competing across 25 tournaments in 24 of the world's most popular games for a share of a record-breaking USD 75 million (Rs 716 crore) prize pool.

The event follows the largest Road to EWC qualification program in history, with more than 1.5 million players competing across 330 tournaments, publisher leagues and premier international circuits to earn their place on the world's biggest esports stage.

Sporting icons Cristiano Ronaldo an...