Esports tournaments are competitive gaming events featuring a wide range of video games. Traditionally, esports competitions are based on popular games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Valorant and fighting game franchises like Street Fighter, Capcom and Overwatch. These esports are broadcast live on television or online, often with commentators providing pre-game analysis and in-match commentary.
Despite their relatively recent origin, esports have already established themselves as one of the world’s most lucrative forms of entertainment. The total annual value of esports is believed to be around $5 billion, with an estimated 1 billion gamers and spectators worldwide. Whether you’re a professional gamer looking to break into the mainstream of the industry or just a dedicated fan watching from home, there’s no doubt that esports are here to stay.
The 2025 esports calendar is packed with major events across multiple titles. March sees the debut of the League of Legends First Stand, while RLCS 2025 Birmingham Major and the Apex Legends season finale dominate the latter part of the month. April sees some of the best teams from Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT and Dota 2 compete as PGL Bucharest, BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, IEM Spring and ESL One Raleigh all take place.
Astralis’ rise to fame from winning several CS2 tournaments has seen the Danish team take home hundreds of thousands in prize money. OG are a team that have established themselves as a top-tier side since breaking through at the Frankfurt Major in 2015, and FaZe Clan have been in action at numerous major events, including The International back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. Daigo Umehara is an iconic fighting game player who broke records for his performances in EVO tournaments, and Puppey is a veteran member of Team Secret who has competed in every edition of The International to date.