Heroic and the Esports Foundation (formerly the Esports World Cup Foundation) have announced that Heroic has been stripped of Club Partner status following organizational changes.
The decision was announced due to both internal changes in the org and Heroic’s recent loss of its Dota 2 roster, removing its ability to compete in the MOBA title at EWC 2026. The announcement raises major questions surrounding the financial situation of the organization.
Update: Heroic’s Head of Commercial, Sam Molloy, provided the following clarification for Heroic’s loss of Club Partner status on X, stating, “It’s pretty straightforward- we withdrew from Dota due to the challenges in the commercial landscape around the title – in doing that, we no longer met the two-title requirement for EWC. It’s fair enough!”
Insider Gaming asked for further clarification on the timings and implications of the decisions, and what “internal organizational changes” refers to in each statement, but did not receive a reply.
Heroic announces the loss of EWC Partner Status
Heroic was one of only 40 Esports Organizations to get awarded Club Partner status for the Esports World Cup 2026’s initiative, giving them access to their share of the $20million of funding available this year.
Over 175 applications were received for the slots, with notable organizations like FaZe Clan, Movistar KOI, BDS, and Bilibili Gaming missing out on 2026’s funding.
However, Heroic has now lost that lucrative spot. Heroic announced the decision in a statement shared on X:
“Following our recently announced exit from Dota 2 and internal organizational changes, we recognized that we no longer meet the requirements for the Club Partner Program. In alignment with the Esports Foundation, both parties have therefore mutually agreed not to continue HEROIC’s participation in the 2026 Club Partner Program.
“Being part of the program since 2025 has given us the platform and resources to create content and experiences that truly resonated with our fans, and we are grateful for that opportunity.
“We thank the Esports Foundation for their collaboration and support throughout.”
It is unclear whether Heroic’s spot will now be awarded to another esports organization. Insider Gaming has reached out to the Esports Foundation for clarity on the matter.
Heroic dealt a major blow through the loss of Club Partner status
The announcement further draws into question the finances of the organization on multiple fronts. Partially because of the stated cuts, which have seen the loss of the DotA team as well as layoffs within the organization, but also because of losing the Club Partnership status itself.
Club Partner status is highly lucrative for organizations, capable of delivering up to $1million of funding per team per year. The minimum partner funding is described as a “six-figure” amount on the Esports World Cup website, with further bonuses for meeting incentives.
As EWC describes, “The program establishes a distinctive model for partnership in global sport, enabling Clubs to access funding to grow their brands and audiences through marketing and storytelling that showcase the personalities, talent, and journeys of players.”
In effect, that means teams require the capability to make content around their EWC journeys in order to make the most out of their Club Partner status.
Additionally, teams required processes to determine “Super Fans,” tournament-funded fans who would attend the Riyadh event under the team’s banners.
The inability to meet partner obligations may be at the heart of the decision, but have not been directly communicated publicly, with the Club Partner program itself not having a public Terms & Conditions.
Heroic has been contacted for further clarification on the reasons and effects of the loss of Club Partner status, but has yet to reply.
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For other news, see the news on the potential future for esports at the Olympics.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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