Leading eSports countries ranked by number of active players 2023
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The United States was the leading eSports country worldwide according to the number of active eSports competition players in 2024. The U.S. led the list with more than 3,399 active competition players, followed by China and Brazil with 1,578 and 1,362 professional eSports players, respectively. The United States was also the country with the largest eSports market worldwide.
Who are the most successful eSports players worldwide?
If a professional gamer’s success can be measured by the prizes they win from tournament victories, then Denmark’s Johan Sundstein was the leading eSports player worldwide as of January 2025. Sundstein, who players under the alias of N0tail, earned more than seven million U.S. dollars, more than half a million U.S. dollars more than second placed Jesse Vainikka. Meanwhile, Canadian Sasha Hostyn was the most successful female eSports player worldwide according to her overall earnings, having won about 472,000 U.S. dollars.
Which eSports tournaments are the most lucrative?
Due in part to the popularity of eSports gaming worldwide, tournament organizers are able to offer large financial prizes to competition champions. As of 2025, the 2021 iteration of The International was the leading eSports competition worldwide according to their overall prize pool. The championship, organized annually by Valve, is for professional players of the multiplayer online battle arena video game Dota 2 and is the final event in the Dota Pro Circuit. Dota 2 was also the leading eSports game worldwide by tournament prize pool in 2024, with Counter-Strike 2 ranking second in the list.
