Post Malone, Telle Smith and Alesso Rock the Stage At EWC 2025 Opening Ceremony

The Esports World Cup 2025 has officially commenced with a sold-out Opening Ceremony in Riyadh featuring global music superstar Post Malone performing live, kicking off a seven-week global celebration of esports and gaming. Thousands of fans attended the in-person event at Riyadh's ANB Arena in Boulevard City, with millions more watching online to be calmed on a night of music and entertainment on the world’s biggest esports stage.

At the center of the celebration was the live premiere of "Til My Fingers Bleed," the official Song of the Year for Esports World Cup 2025, which garnered over two million Spotify streams in its first week. The genre-blending record - featuring DINO of SEVENTEEN, Duckwrth, and Telle Smith of The Word Alive - takes elements from K-pop, hip-hop, and rock to convey ambition and emotion around the world's largest esports contest. Performing together live for the first time, the group put on an unforgettable performance and created electricity in the venue and out into the crowd. The group had an unforgiving combination of powerful vocals, slick choreography, and magnetic stage presence, all amplified by paid planning/designers and the sheer spectacle of the production/staging, with giant LED graphics, dramatic lighting, and an otherworldly set. 

Post Malone, Duckwrth, and Telle Smith Set the Mood for What's to Come in EWC 2025

As Post Malone came onto the stage, the backup dancers stepped aside, leaving him alone in the lights for this gorgeous solo moment that took over the arena as he opened his set with the fan favourite song “Circles”. Later, Grammy-nominated producer Alesso and master cellist Tina Guo performed their high-octane instrumental song “Ascension,” which quickly turned the stage into a pulse-racing sea of adrenaline as the competitors confronted each other on stage.

“Performing at the Esports World Cup opening ceremony was such an eye-opening experience,” added DINO of SEVENTEEN. “It was really meaningful for me to connect K-pop with another creative frontier—the gaming world—and to share the stage with amazing, genre-diverse artists like Duckwrth and Telle Smith. The atmosphere and energy from the audience were incredible, and it’ll definitely inspire me to keep pushing my artistic boundaries.”

“At its heart, the Esports World Cup is a global celebration of community – where gaming, creativity, and culture converge on the world’s biggest stage,” said Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “EWC Music, our official song, “Til My Fingers Bleed”, and the Opening Ceremony define the identity of the tournament. They reflect the spirit of shared passion and the connective power of music and esports, setting the tone for an unforgettable summer.”

The Opening Ceremony also featured a mix of celebrity guests from across sports, music, and streaming on its red carpet, such as well-known streamer Tyler 1, former NFL star Osi Umenyiora, chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, actor Karry Wang, and pro gamer Arslan Ash. The variety of guests demonstrates how EWC is growing into a meeting space for the entertainment industry's biggest names, alike in music, sport, gaming, and esports. With the Opening Ceremony complete, attention now turns to the competitive action at the heart of the EWC. Matches featuring the world's best players in the world's biggest competitive titles will take place daily across the many arenas of Riyadh's Boulevard City, where Clubs will compete for the largest prize in all of esports - the Esports World Cup Club Championship.