Top 11 Biggest Esports Events by Viewership in History

Competitive gaming was dismissed as a niche hobby for decades, but this is no longer the case. Nowadays, we have tournaments that fill stadiums and attract millions of viewers worldwide. I remember the days when computer games were the only esports titles, but nowadays we also have mobile games that have become global successes.

Considering there are so many esports, it’s no surprise that they have big tournaments. But how big are we actually talking? Well, the Nostrabet team and I decided to rank the top 11 in terms of viewers, so let’s dive in. The numbers you see here are based on deep research, but they may be a bit different, depending on the sources you’ve used.

League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2023 – Around 2.3M Viewers

There is no arguing that League of Legends is a special game when it comes to tournament popularity. The so-called MSI may not be as big as the World Championship, but it has numerous fans. As a result, the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2023 gathered around 2.3M peak viewers at one point.

Those who followed the tournament remember that Asian teams dominated heavily. China’s powerhouse Bilibili Gaming faced JD Gaming in an LPL final, and the latter won after a convincing performance.

Fortnite World Cup Finals 2019 – Around 2.3M Viewers

Fortnite used to be one of the biggest esports several years ago, and the numbers prove that. The Fortnite World Cup Finals 2019 brought together the best in the world and had around 2.3M in peak viewers. The number varies wildly because it depends on what streams were counted.

What made the competition so interesting was the wide range of players. What was also interesting was that there were many teenagers, including Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf. He was a 16-year-old player who went on to win the tournament. Aside from becoming one of the youngest esports stars in the world, he also won $3,000,000.

The International 2021- 2.7M Viewers

Dota 2 has been one of the leading esports for many years, and The International is its pinnacle. It’s an annual competition that has been held every year since 2012, except in 2020.

The competition is famous for its huge prize (this was the case before, but not anymore), and The International 2021 leads in viewership. Based on the stats, the tournament got a peak viewership of around 2.7M people, which is really impressive. TI10 had a prize pool of over $40M, and Team Spirit won the tournament after defeating PSG.LGD.

An interesting fact is that The International 2026 also had really good numbers. In fact, the tournament had almost 1.8M peak viewers, which makes it the third-most popular Dota 2 competition in history.

PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020 – Around 3.8M Viewers

PUBG Mobile is one of the many smartphone-based esports titles with millions of fans around the globe. It also hosts annual competitions, and the PUBG Mobile Global Championship is one of them.

The 2020 edition demonstrated that these esports have a bright future, as it drew around 3.8M peak viewers. Unsurprisingly, the tournament had a strong audience in places like SEA, South Asia and the Middle East. These countries have millions of mobile gamers who are following the pros’ every step.

The PUBG Mobile Global Championship in 2020 helped establish mobile battle royale esports as a serious global competition.

League of Legends World Championship 2021 – Around 4M Viewers

League of Legends is one of the oldest and most respected esports, and the so-called LoL Worlds is its most popular event. Similar to Dota 2’s The International, the League of Legends World Championship is an annual competition, and the 2021 version was extremely popular. Based on some stats, it gathered around 4M peak viewers.

All of these people witnessed as Edward Gaming defeat KWG KIA in the dramatic Bo5 Grand Final. Worlds has always been one of the most anticipated LoL tournaments, and it will remain so.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship – Around 4.13M Viewers

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is another hugely popular mobile esports title. Like the rest, it comes with a variety of big events, but the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship was on another level. The stats show that the competition had peak viewers of around 4.13M, making it the biggest esport at the time.

This esport title is especially popular in Southeast Asia, where you can find loads of pro teams. Indonesia and the Philippines have built huge esports cultures around the game, and they can even rival traditional sports fandom.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M-Series Championships 2026 – Around 5M

Mobile Legends ended up on the list again, this time with another epic tournament. The so-called M-Series Championship has regularly attracted over 5M viewers. The 2023 event had 5.07M viewers, whereas the M7 World Championship in 2026 drew 5.68M viewers.

Its success is built around regional passion, especially in Southeast Asia. As mentioned, the game is very popular there, and some of the world’s best players have become celebrities.

League of Legends World Championship 2022 – Around 5.1M Viewers

We have another LoL Worlds on the list, and this time, it is the 2022 competition. Esports fans can safely say that this tournament delivered one of the greatest stories in esports history. We saw DRX going up against the living legends of T1, and they ended up winning the event. The Grand Final was amazing to watch, and DRX prevailed.

Considering the excitement around this match, it’s no surprise that it gathered around 5.1M people. During that time, this was the most popular League of Legends competition ever. However, as you will see in a bit, the game broke its records several times after that.

Free Fire World Series 2021 – Around 5.4M Viewers

Most people will agree that the Free Fire World Series 2021 is extremely important for mobile esports. Even though mobile esports were not that popular during that time, the Garena Free Fire World Series 2021 proved otherwise. Once the event was over, it became clear that it attracted around 5.4M peak viewers, making it among the most popular events at the time.

Nowadays, Free Fire is popular in many parts of the world. The game has a large fan base in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India. Everyone behind it ensured that it runs smoothly on a variety of devices. This allows even people with lower-end smartphones to enjoy it.

League of Legends World Championship 2023 – Around 6.4M Viewers

Honestly, I was surprised to see League of Legends dominate so heavily when it comes to the most popular tournaments. Beyond what I already mentioned, the League of Legends World Championship 2023 pushed viewership into new territory. The Grand Final between T1 and Weibo Gaming reached close to 6.4M peak viewers. This number is really impressive because it does not even include the Chinese viewers.

The match was truly amazing to watch as both teams used their best setups to win the competition. In the end, T1 proved to be more resilient, and Faker won his 4th World Championship title. People were eager to see this happen because Faker had missed out on several trophies before that.

League of Legends World Championship 2024 – Around 6.94M Viewers

The first place on the list of the biggest esports events by viewership also belongs to League of Legends. Worlds 2024 became the most-watched esports event in history at the time, with peak numbers reaching 6.94M.

Fans had the chance to witness an epic Grand Final between T1 and Bilibili Gaming. The two teams produced a legendary five-game series, but in the end, T1 was supreme once more. This was Faker’s 5th championship, and it cemented his role as the best in the game’s history.

Like all other Worlds before that, this one featured a major international audience. Even though South Korea and China have been dominating the scene for a while, this event has fans from every corner of the world.

Conclusion

After seeing these numbers, we can all agree that esports are here to stay. Some games are clearly more popular than others, but remember that I just shared more details about the most-viewed competitions. Even some of the less popular tournaments can have millions of fans watching every player’s moves.