There are also various leagues in e-sports with national and international competitions such as the League of Legends European Championship or the ESL

Hamburg – Gaming is increasingly professionalized these days. This is not only true for streamers, content creators and influencers around the topic of video games – competitive gaming as e-sport is now even recognized as a sport in some countries and regularly attracts large crowds. League of Legends and Call of Duty are particularly popular among pro gamers and spectators. As with other sports, e-sports include national and international tournaments and leagues.

E-Sport League: National – The German E-Sport Bundesliga, ESL Gaming and the Strauss Prime League

In Germany, too, e-sports are not merely followed in live streams, but have also been actively participated in for many years. In the German E-Sport Bundesliga, tournaments are held in various games: Call of Duty Vanguard, Age of Empires IV and Rainbow Six Siege. It was founded as the “Americas Armys Bundesliga” in 2007 and expanded to other games in 2010. The Electronic Sports League (ESL) was founded back in 2000. At that time, it was the successor to the German Clan League, which was founded in 1997.

Today, ESL is merely part of the brand name of ESL Gaming, an organizer of various e-sports tournaments. The portfolio includes competitions in more than 50 different video games. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is also a joint League of Legends league. Under the name Strauss Prime League, named after one of the sponsors, publisher Riot Games maintains its own regional league in the DACH region. League of Legends is probably the most popular video game when it comes to professional e-sports.

E-Sports League: Europe-wide – League of Legends European Championship (LEC)

The LEC, or League of Legends European Championship, is the European league for League of Legends from publisher Riot Games. Here, since 2013, the 10 best teams in Europe compete against each other, and fight for a high prize money and participation in the League of Legends World Championship. The League of Legends World Championship is not only the most followed e-sports tournament with the greatest global prestige, but also has the highest viewer numbers in the video game sector worldwide.

The League of Legends European Championship will be held in Germany, namely in Adlershof in Berlin. From its in-house studio, Riot Games streams the league’s matches to over 300,000 viewers on Twitch and YouTube. The broadcast is available in several languages and is so popular that it has prompted France to create a legal framework for e-sports.

The North American League Championship Series (LCS)

The League Championship Series is the North American league of League of Legends. It is run by the publisher Riot Games itself. Since 2015 the 10 best teams in North America meet in the LCS – in 2013 there were only 8 teams. Whoever is successful here qualifies for the League of Legends World Championship.

National Leagues in Asia – League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) and League of Legends Pro League (LPL)

The LCK is the national professional league for League of Legends players in South Korea. Although it is a national competition, the winners here also qualify for the League of Legends World Championship. The league was founded in 2012 and is run by the game developers Riot Games, among others.

Each year, 10 teams participate. The League of Legends Pro League, or LPL for short, is again the national league in China. It has been running since 2013, and in this competition, too, the top three teams qualify for the League of Legends World Championship – measured here by the playoffs. Unlike other leagues, 17 teams participate here. The league is operated by Riot Games and Tencent in a joint venture.

Pacific Championship Series (PCS)

In the Pacific Championship Series, League of Legends teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam) have been competing since 2020. The league was launched by Riot Games in 2019 after cooperation partner Garena wanted to combine the two leagues League of Legends Master Series and League of Legends SEA Tour. Ten teams will participate: six from Taiwan, two from Hong Kong, one from Malaysia and one from Singapore. The top two teams qualify for the League of Legends World Championship.

Tournament: League of Legends World Championship

In the worldwide League of Legends tournament League of Legends World Championship the best teams from all over the world compete against each other. The number of participating teams increased steadily from the inception of the league in 2011 to 2019: in 2011 there were 8 teams, in 2012 already 12, in 2013 14 teams participated and from 2014 to 2016 there were 16 teams. In 2017 to 2019, 24 teams played – but in 2020 and 2021, only 22 teams. Qualification is done through Riot Games’ national and regional competitions. The venue of the League of Legends World Championship rotates between the different participating nations.

The prize money of the League of Legends World Championship amounts to several million dollars. It also comes with a 32-kilogram trophy, the Summoner’s Cup. The tournament enjoys worldwide popularity and attracts millions of viewers due to its dramatic and highly emotional performances by the e-sportsmen and the showmanship. The 2018 final broke its own viewership record with 99.6 million. The League of Legends World Championship is also in focus when it comes to bringing e-sports to the Olympics.

The Counter Strike League ESL Pro League and the CS:GO Major

Valve Corporation is also sponsoring a major tournament called CS:GO Major for its game Counter Strike: Global Offensive, or CS:GO for short. The tournament is funded from the proceeds of in-game purchases, more specifically weapon skins and weapon crates. The prize money of $250,000 is significantly lower than League of Legends leagues. This event is broadcast every year in a different international location and can be watched on Twitch. Since 2018, 24 teams have been taking part, and before that it was 2016. The tournament was held for the first time in 2013.

Organized by the German e-sports company ESL Gaming mentioned at the beginning, competitions are also held in CS:GO. The highest international professional gaming league within the ESL is the ESL Pro League. It is divided into four regions. Europe and America participate with 16 teams, Asia and Oceania with 8 teams each. It was founded in 2014 and in some cases prize money of up to 1 million US dollars has been distributed.

League: The Call of Duty League (CDL)

Last but not least, we should also mention the professional e-sports league of publisher Activision Blizzard, the Call of Duty League (CDL), founded in 2020. It was modeled after the successful Overwatch League, which operates in a similar mode. The league currently comprises 13 teams and is modeled on most sports leagues in the US. All teams fight for their place in the playoffs in qualifying matches against the other teams. Here is the list of teams from the then first – Season of the CDL.

• Atlanta Faze
• Chicago Huntsmen
• Dallas Empire
• Florida Mutineers
• London Royal Ravens
• Los Angeles Guerrillas
• Minnesota Rokkr
• New York Subliners
• Optic Gaming Los Angeles
• Paris Legion
• Seattle Surge
• Toronto Ultra

Here, players receive a minimum annual salary and other benefits, in addition to their shares of the prize money the team earns. As is common in American professional sports, teams are additionally named after their hometown in addition to their actual name, for example Atlanta FaZe. In addition to American teams, teams from England (London Royal Ravens), France (Paris Legion) and Canada (Toronto Ultra) also participate.