On April 27, the Esports Foundation (EF, formerly EWCF) held an online press conference alongside three of its partner clubs. Hans Jagnow, Director of Club and Player Relations, ran the session. Facing him: Ahn Woong-ki (T1 COO), Arnold Hur (Gen.G CEO) and Eddie Chen (All Gamers COO).
For T1, Ahn Woong-ki set a clear target: reaching a one-billion-dollar valuation, five times the current level. The COO is banking on Faker's aura to bring non-esports audiences to the EWC, and on multi-title expansion to reassure sponsors and investors. Counter-Strike and Dota are on the table. Vietnam was also flagged as a key market.
He also indicated that T1 aims to achieve a corporate valuation of $1 billion. According to the COO, hitting this target would mean multiplying the club’s current valuation by five, suggesting it is presently valued at roughly $200 million.
Arnold Hur delivered the standout line of the session:
"Just as spring follows winter".
For the Gen.G CEO, the franchising era is over, and the partnership era begins. A few strong structures, working closely with publishers. Gen.G presents itself as an education platform, a media company and a consumer brand, as much as an esports team.
Eddie Chen, on his side, aims to enter roughly 80% of EWC titles, with Honor of Kings and CrossFire as spearheads. AG will also travel to Vietnam in May to scout new talent.
Hans Jagnow closed with the numbers:
300 million fans across partner clubs, more than 100 million dollars distributed since 2023, and an annual renewal system designed to prevent locked-in slots.
A quick recap on the CPP 2026. The program enters its third edition. Total funding sits at 20 million dollars, with up to 1 million per club, and 40 structures selected from nearly 200 applicants. The list includes T1, Gen.G, Vitality, Fnatic, G2, Falcons, Liquid, JD Gaming, Cloud9 and Edward Gaming, among others. Karmine Corp did not make the cut this year.
EWC 2026 will run from July 6 to August 23 in Riyadh, with more than 75 million dollars in prize money.
