Esports enthusiasts had plenty to applaud in 2025 across PC titles, such as League of Legends (LoL) and Dota 2, as well as mobile games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and PUBG Mobile. From heated rivalries to record-breaking viewership, this year set new benchmarks for the global esports scene. 

This guide breaks down the key stats of top esports tournaments in 2025, including the most-watched competitions, the biggest tournaments by prize pool, and where to watch them.

Note: All viewership and prize pool statistics are sourced from Esports Charts and reflect data gathered exclusively from publicly available streaming platforms as of November 18, 2025.

Most Watched Esports Tournaments In 2025

This table ranks the most-watched esports tournaments in 2025 based on peak viewership. We’ve also included total watch hours, average viewers per tournament, and total airtime for added context. Interestingly, all the top 10 esports tournaments are from LoL or MLBB. 

World Championship 2025 (League of Legends)

In terms of viewership, Worlds 2025 was the top esports tournament in 2025, posting an average of 1.5 million viewers and 133.5 million hours of watch time across 88h 55m. Not surprisingly, T1 continued to captivate audiences, drawing a peak of 6.7 million viewers during the Grand Finals. 

Compared to last year, peak viewership dropped by 1.5%, the number of average concurrent viewers fell by 11.5%, and total watch time slid by a massive 28%. This drop is primarily attributed to awkward match timings for Western viewers and a shorter Play-In stage, which naturally reduced overall viewing hours. 

Even with the drop in viewership, LoL’s premier annual tournament has retained the title of being the most-viewed tournament of all time, with its 14th edition (Worlds 2024) boasting a massive 6.8 million peak viewership.

MPL Indonesia Season 15 (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)

MPL Indonesia Season 15 recorded an average of 488,000 concurrent viewers and 113.2 million hours watched across nearly 232 hours of airtime. The Grand Final between powerhouses RRQ.H and ONIC attracted the largest audience (4.1 million peak viewers), with the best-of-seven series ending 4–3 in ONIC’s favor. 

Despite the loss, RRQ.H was the main attractant during the event, as all five of the most-watched matches featured Rex Regum. While the peak viewership rose by 5.12% from Season 14, both the average concurrent viewership and hours watched declined by 4.5% and 3.6%, respectively.

With its strong regional fanbase in Southeast Asia and the rapidly increasing popularity of the MPL Indonesia league, MLBB remains one of the most-watched esports games in 2025, with five of the top 10 events being MLBB tournaments. 

Mid-Season Invitational 2025 (League of Legends)

The 9th season of MSI brought together ten of the best LoL teams and peaked at 3.4 million viewers in the Grand Final. The long-running rivalry between LCK powerhouses T1 and Gen.G played a significant role in boosting global viewership to an average of 955,000 viewers and 75 million hours watched.

The peak viewership climbed by over 21% compared to last year, while average concurrent viewers slipped by 5.8%. This was mainly due to the unfavorable timing for European viewers and the new Fearless Draft format, which reduced the number of team invitations and lowered regional engagement. 

Korean fans’ passion for the game was unmatched, as their peak viewership grew from roughly 840,000 in 2024 to 1.1 million in 2025, reflecting a 31% increase. Meanwhile, English streams drew 736,967 viewers, followed by Vietnamese (697,114), Spanish (260,736), and Chinese (236,681) language-speaking broadcasts.

Biggest Esports Tournaments By Prize Pool In 2025

This table ranks the biggest esports tournaments in 2025 by total prize pool. 

King Pro League Grand Finals 2025 (Honor of Kings)

Despite being less popular in the West, Honor of Kings (HoK) remains the most popular mobile MOBA in China. With the total prize pool of $9.8 million, the King Pro League Grand Finals 2025 made its way into our list as a top esports tournament in 2025. 

Viewership rose to 250 million unique viewers, despite the prize pool dropping slightly from 2024’s $9.9 million. In its tenth year, the 2025 Grand Finals, held at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, set a Guinness World Record. It attracted more than 62,000 attendees and sold out tickets within just 12 seconds.

Using the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium is a strong sign of how big the league has become in China. This level of prize money and engagement is rare in mobile gaming, which shows a high level of commitment from the organizers, Tencent Games, to promote the game globally. 

World Championship 2025 (League of Legends)

In addition to topping viewership charts, Worlds is also the biggest esports tournament in 2025 in terms of prize pool, with a total of $5 million. Compared to last year, the total amount more than doubled from $2.2 million, marking the largest single-year increase in the event’s history.

The current world champions, T1, claimed $1 million after lifting the Summoner’s Cup for the third time in a row. Faker also secured his iconic sixth Worlds title. At the same time, the Korean giant’s top share helped keep the LCK as the region with the most cumulative prize money in LoL. 

Only one previous edition has crossed the $5 million mark: Worlds 2016, which was partially crowdfunded through cosmetics. By contrast, Worlds 2025 reached this number exclusively through direct funding, making this figure especially notable in reflecting Riot’s continued effort to scale the event.

World Cup 2025 (PUBG Mobile)

The mid-seasonal PUBG Mobile World Cup, which formed part of the Esports World Cup, was the most popular PUBG Mobile tournament since 2021.

In a typical underdog story, Yangon Galacticos won by 15 points and nabbed four “Winner Winner Chicken Dinners.” The Burmese team, which qualified for the Grand Finals via the open qualifiers in Myanmar, almost got knocked out in the Survival Stage, but ended up taking home the bulk of the $3 million prize money.

The tournament was even more exciting as, for the first time, the Indian team AxTMG participated after the PUBG Mobile ban in India in 2020. With Indian and Burmese audiences following their respective teams, the tournament peaked at over 1.4 million viewers and averaged 450,000 concurrent viewers.

How To Watch The Top Esports Tournaments In 2025?

All major esports tournaments can be streamed for free on YouTube, Twitch, and—in most cases—the game’s official platforms. Regional broadcasts vary by language and platform, but nearly all are in English.

Here’s an esports viewing guide of the top tournaments for English-language viewers. 

Note: This list reflects the latest information as of November 18, 2025. For regional languages, you can watch local broadcast channels or community co-streams.

FAQs 

What are the biggest esports tournaments in 2025?

The top 10 biggest esports tournaments by viewership were dominated by LoL and MLBB, with Worlds 2025 ranking #1 with a peak of 6.7 million viewers. The HoK King Pro League Grand Finals topped prize pools with nearly $10 million.

Which esports games have the largest prize pools this year?

The HoK King Pro League Grand Finals 2025 had the largest prize pool in 2025, reaching a jaw-dropping $9.8 million. With a prize pool of roughly half that, Worlds 2025 comes in second place with $5 million.

How can I watch all major esports tournaments live?

Most major esports tournaments can be streamed on the official tournament organizer’s websites or on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. You can also find simulcasts in different partner or regional event channels. 

What are the most-watched esports events in 2025?

The most-watched esports event in 2025 was Worlds, recording a peak viewership of 6.7 million. Drawing large audiences from Asia, MLBB also performed well, peaking at 4.1 million viewers during the MPL Indonesia Season 15 Grand Finals.

How do teams qualify for top esports tournaments?

Teams typically qualify for major esports tournaments through a combination of league results, regional competitions, open and closed qualifiers, and invitation systems.

References

1. League of Legends World Championship (TikTok)
2. LoL Esports (YouTube)
3. Riot Games (Twitch)
4. MLBB Official (Twitch)
5. MLBB Esports (YouTube)
6. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (YouTube)
7. MLBB Esports (Facebook)
8. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Facebook)
9. HoK Esports (Twitch)
10. HoK Esports (YouTube)
11. HoK Esports Live (TikTok)
12. Honor of Kings (TikTok)
13. PUBG Mobile Esports (Twitch)
14. PUBG Mobile Esports (YouTube)
15. PUBG Mobile Esports (Facebook)
16. PUBG Mobile Esports (TikTok)
17. Dota 2 TI (Twitch)
18. Dota 2 (YouTube)
19. EWC (Twitch)
20. EWC Amazon Arena (Twitch)
21. EWC (YouTube)
22. EWC (Facebook)
23. Rainbow 6 (Twitch)
24. Rainbow Six Esports (YouTube)
25. VALORANT (Twitch)
26. VALORANT Esports (YouTube)
27. Fortnite (Twitch)
28. Fortnite (YouTube)
29. Watch – Fortnite Competitive (Fortnite)
30. SNK Official (Twitch)
31. SNK Official (YouTube)
32. BLAST Premier (Twitch)
33. BLAST Premier (YouTube)
34. BLASTPremier Stream – Watch Live on Kick (Kick)
35. Counter-Strike | Tournaments, matches, minigames and News (blast.tv)
36. StarLadder_cs_en (Twitch)
37. StarLadder CS2 Highlights (YouTube)
38. Starladder1 Stream – Watch Live on Kick (Kick)