A new documentary has been released on Prime Video that sheds light on the competitive race to secure the signing of GM Magnus Carlsen ahead of the Esports World Cup debut of chess, while the world number-one also shares the spotlight with Cristiano Ronaldo and others in a promotional video for the 2026 event.
Season two of Esports World Cup: Level Up was released to 250 million Prime Video subscribers on June 26. The docuseries goes behind the scenes of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where chess made its debut with $1.5 million in prize money and a cast of grandmasters signed to some of the world’s biggest esports organizations.
The third episode, “The King and the Coach,” covers the chess event in the tournament and offers a rare glimpse of Carlsen at home in his residence outside Oslo. While the episode centers on Carlsen, it also features brief interviews with GMs Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura.
The episode focuses heavily on Team Liquid’s chase for the title—and on the scramble to secure the world number-one. The American esports organization, which is based in the Netherlands, signed Carlsen in what was described as “the biggest signing in Team Liquid’s history.”
Team Liquid did not stop with Carlsen and signed him together with GM Fabiano Caruana. Later, they also added GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu to a roster that became the team to beat.
“When chess came into the EWC, there were several teams interested. There certainly was competition there,” Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet says.
“I knew that we wanted to sign the best in the world. And it was competitive to do that,” he adds. “I know for a fact that there were dozens of organizations that reached out.”
I knew that we wanted to sign the best in the world. And it was competitive to do that.
—Steve Arhancet, co-CEO of Team Liquid
The exact details of the contract are not public, but the best esports stars are reported to earn anything from six figures to multi-year deals of several million dollars. For chess players, signing with an esports organization could mean not only a salary, but also bonuses, brand support, content opportunities, and a chance to contribute to the $30 million Club Championship race.
Arhancet also reveals there were moments when the deal looked uncertain: “There were parts of that negotiation where I thought it may not happen.”
Ahead of last year’s event, Chess.com covered how esports organizations raced to sign top grandmasters in order to boost their chances in the standings. In the end, more than 25 grandmasters were picked up by various esports teams.
In 2026, GMs Javokhir Sindarov, Hans Niemann, Liem Le, Sina Movahed and Alexey Sarana are among the stars signed by esports organizations, according to Liquipedia.
WELCOME @HansMokeNiemann TO GODLIKE 💛
Time to let the board do the talking! #DilSeEWC #DilSeGodLike #DilSeRedBull pic.twitter.com/UVVGHxWnfO
— GodLike Esports (@GodLike_in) April 30, 2026
The scale of the Esports World Cup helps explain why teams were willing to spend. The 2025 event featured a combined prize pool of more than $70 million, with chess making its debut as one of 25 tournaments, with a $1.5 million prize fund. The Club Championship comes on top of that, offering a $7 million first prize to the top-performing esports organization across all games.
Arhancet reveals in the documentary that Liquid did not win Carlsen simply by outspending everyone else. “We weren’t the best financial offer, or anything close to it,” he says. “So I think that means [it was] about planning for Team Liquid.”
Carlsen echoes that point in the episode: “I think we felt overall that Liquid had the overall best package, best brand.”
The team that came closest, according to the documentary, was Team Falcons. Falcons CEO Mossad Al-Dossary said the Norwegian would be the dream signing.
“Magnus is just a dream. You want that big guy to represent your team,” Al-Dossary says. “We tried. They told us they have this offer, and they know only Liquid can afford that, and then we tried giving a better offer.”
But Falcons ultimately backed away. “We couldn’t take it as a financial risk. Liquid had a better offer,” Al-Dossary says. “So we decided to leave the negotiations and lose Magnus. It’s a huge competitor that can win the EWC.”
Falcons missed out on Carlsen, but the Saudi organization still made it clear how seriously they were taking the chess EWC, signing Nakamura and later adding Firouzja as well.
But even on a roster filled with chess stars, the documentary leaves little doubt about the player everyone was chasing. At one point, GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Arjun Erigaisi, and Wei Yi are all asked the same question: who is the player to beat?
Their answer is clear: Magnus, Magnus, Magnus.
“My opponents know that in order to win the tournament they have to go through me,” Carlsen says in the documentary. “There will be a time when the kids surpass me. That time is not now.”
There will be a time when the kids surpass me. That time is not now.
—Magnus Carlsen
And he was right. Carlsen went on to win the first-ever Chess Esports World Cup title, defeating Firouzja in the Grand Final and taking home the $250,000 top prize.
Carlsen says in the documentary: “Obviously, I am extremely competitive. But I do experience difficult moments, weak moments. When I am in shape, though, when I am playing at my best, or very close to it, even for Alireza, it’s hard.”
For the teams, the logic was equally clear: a single elite chess player could influence not only the chess tournament but the entire Club Championship. Carlsen’s win did exactly that, giving Team Liquid its first title of the 2025 Esports World Cup and briefly lifting the organization ahead of Falcons.
However, it was Falcons that had the last word, winning the Club Championship and its $7 million first prize. Team Liquid finished second, earning $4 million.
“He’s such an amazing brand ambassador,” Arhancet says in the documentary. “Having him on the squad motivates everyone.”
He’s such an amazing brand ambassador. Having him on the squad motivates everyone.
—Steve Arhancet, co-CEO of Team Liquid, on Magnus Carlsen
Meanwhile, Carlsen’s role as an ambassador for the Esports World Cup continues beyond the documentary. He is featured alongside none other than Cristiano Ronaldo in a new promotional video for the 2026 Esports World Cup, which will be held in Paris from July 6 to August 23.
Carlsen is featured as a Team Liquid representative alongside other esports stars, including Faker from T1, ZywOo from Team Vitality, KarlTzy from Team Liquid, and YiNuo from All Gamers Global.
“Not everyone can win. The ones that do, are different,” Ronaldo begins in the 84-second video, titled “Greatness Recognizes Greatness.”
The video shows Carlsen apparently conducting a simul while running on a treadmill, before eventually grinning: “Checkmate!” The video description reads: “Different strengths. Different games. Same pursuit of greatness.” It says EWC26 will bring “the world’s best into one story, right here in Paris.”
The Chess Esports World Cup will take place from August 11 to 15 in its new home in Paris, France. It will once again feature a $1.5 million prize fund, while the expanded 2026 format will feature 22 players, including a new play-in phase.
You can get tickets to attend the festival at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France. Use the coupon code CHESS15 for a 15% discount.