According to the information portal Sheep Esports, citing its own sources, grandmaster Magnus Carlsen will join the esports organization Team Liquid and compete under its banner at EWC 2025.
Insiders claim that the signing will take place ahead of the first chess tournament as part of the Esports World Cup 2025 in Saudi Arabia. The tournament will feature a prize pool of $1.5 million, with 16 players participating, starting on July 31.
If the deal goes through, Carlsen will become another chess player to sign with an esports organization. For example, on February 11, 2025, Team Vitality announced their signing of grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, ranked 22nd in the FIDE world rankings. Many organizations, including OpTic and TSM, have already recruited chess stars like the Botez sisters and Hikaru Nakamura, respectively.
Magnus Carlsen has been the top chess player of the last decade. From 2013 to 2022, he held the world champion title until he chose not to defend it in 2023. Nevertheless, he still holds the top spot in the FIDE rankings.
