Sixteen teams went head-to-head in Riyadh, but it was Weibo Gaming who stood tallest, lifting the Teamfight Tactics trophy at this year’s Esports World Cup. The Chinese squad beat Eastern Europe’s Virtus.pro 3–1 in the grand final, walking away with the $150,000 USD prize and another piece of silverware for their cabinet.
The expectations were high and they delivered.@Weibogamingwin are your TFT at EWC 25 Winners 🏆 pic.twitter.com/D2GpHqy5vh
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) August 15, 2025
From Dominance to Destiny
Weibo’s run through the tournament was as clean as you could hope for. Undefeated in groups and dropping just a single game in the semis to AEGIS, they rolled into the grand final with all the momentum in the world. Their mission was simple, bring the gold back to China for the second year running, and they didn’t miss.
Virtus.pro, on the other hand, were the surprise story of the event. With a roster not many fans had on their radar, VP took down big names like Wolves Esports and T1, earning themselves the “giant slayers” tag. By the time they reached the finals, they’d already won the hearts of plenty of viewers.
Breaking down the final
Game one set the tone with Weibo completely outclassing their opponents, all four of their players landed in the top four spots. VP punched back in game two thanks to Milo, K1an, and Maris locking down the podium, but that’s where their spark fizzled out.
The third game will probably be remembered as the turning point. Weibo’s Saopimi pulled Caretaker’s Ally, an augment that hands out a free Gangplank each level. That lucky break, combined with razor-sharp play — carried him past Milo in a late-game duel, pushing WBG to match point. By game four, the writing was on the wall. Weibo slammed the door shut and claimed the 3–1 victory.
WEIBO GAMING becomes the TFT at EWC 25 K.O. Coliseum legends 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KOxx5YmJ9W
— EWC Extra (@EWC_Extra) August 15, 2025
Saopimi shines as MVP
The standout of the weekend was Yin “Saopimi” Shengjie, who put up some seriously ridiculous numbers: a 71% win rate, a 2.75 average placement, and 25 total points. That earned him the SONY MVP award along with an extra $10,000 USD in prize money. In his words, though, the credit doesn’t just belong to him.
Image Credit: Esports World Cup
“I believe this MVP prize doesn’t belong to me alone, but to every single one of WBG,” he said after the win — a statement that sums up the team-first mentality that powered their run.
Club Championship shake-up
This victory also bumped Weibo Gaming into 8th place on the Club Championship standings with 1,950 points, making them the 17th unique team to grab a title this year. They’ll be back in action soon too, with Street Fighter 6 next on their calendar.
Image Credit: Esports World Cup
As for Virtus.pro, while the loss stings, they still hold onto 4th place with 3,150 points. It’s their third silver medal in Riyadh this year, proving they’re consistently in the mix even without a title just yet.