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Documents about World Cup
The State of Streaming in MENA: Arabic and Turkish
The live-streaming landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has undergone a significant transformation, characterized by rapid growth and a major shift in platform preference.
- Kick dominates the MENA live-streaming market with 81.4% of total viewership as of Q1 2026, largely driven by the migration of Turkish audiences following Twitch's regulatory issues in 2024.
- Total quarterly hours watched in the MENA region grew more than 5x over the last four years, rising from approximately 95 million in Q1 2022 to 490 million in Q1 2026.
- Twitch’s market presence in the region collapsed by roughly 75% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2026, with quarterly hours watched falling from 107 million to 26 million.
Esports: Q1 2026 Live Streaming Trends with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
The first quarter of 2026 highlights a robust and evolving esports landscape, characterized by the massive influence of mobile gaming and the continued dominance of established titles.
- The M7 World Championship for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang set a mobile esports record with 5.9 million peak viewers and 123 million hours watched, accounting for 84% of the game's total Q1 viewership.
- League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Counter-Strike dominated Q1 2026 with 154 million, 146 million, and 140 million hours watched respectively, forming a tight top tier.
- Non-esports events, such as the Kings World Cup Nations (2.2 million peak viewers) and PlayStation's State of Play (2.1 million peak viewers), consistently outperformed most esports tournaments in peak viewership.
Hero Esports to Stage Second Asian Champions League: Shanghai
Hero Esports has announced the return of the Asian Champions League (ACL) to Shanghai, scheduled to take place from May 1–24, 2026.
- Hero Esports will host the second Asian Champions League (ACL) in Shanghai from May 1–24, 2026, featuring a total prize pool of $365,000.
- The tournament serves as a direct qualification pathway to the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) for all three featured titles: Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
- The prize pool is distributed across the three titles, with $150,000 for CS2, $125,000 for MLBB, and $90,000 for Dota 2.
RPL 2026 Summer: Buriram Wins and Viewership Hits 2-Year Low
Buriram United Esports secured the RoV Pro League 2026 Summer championship, marking the organization’s first domestic title since 2020.
- Buriram United Esports won the RoV Pro League 2026 Summer championship, ending a title drought dating back to 2020 by defeating defending champions FULL SENSE.
- Tournament peak viewership fell to a two-year low of 205,855, a decline attributed to the absence of legacy organizations Bacon Time and Talon Esports from the playoffs.
- The league achieved a record-breaking 60,000 peak viewers on TikTok, signaling a major shift in audience engagement toward short-form video platforms.
March 2026’s Top PlayStation Games
This analysis examines the performance of top-selling PlayStation titles during March 2026, utilizing proprietary sales and engagement estimates to evaluate market trends.
- Resident Evil Requiem generated $200 million in gross revenue on PS5, outperforming its $167 million revenue on Steam despite higher unit sales on the PC platform.
- EA FC 26 maintains a massive footprint on PlayStation, which accounts for 70% of its 25 million total players and 80% of its 5 million daily active users.
- Crimson Desert has generated $200 million in total gross revenue across platforms, with $75 million attributed to PS5 sales, defying initial market skepticism.
Most-Watched PUBG Mobile Tournaments: PMGC Season 0 and PMWC 2025
PUBG Mobile has solidified its position as a dominant force in the global esports landscape, consistently outperforming its PC counterpart in viewership metrics.
- The 2020 PUBG Mobile Global Championship Season 0 remains the title's most-watched event, recording 64.5 million hours watched and a peak concurrent viewership of 3.8 million.
- The PUBG Mobile World Cup 2025 has revitalized global interest, marking the game's highest popularity levels in over four years.
- PUBG Mobile consistently outperforms its PC counterpart in global esports viewership metrics.
How to Watch LCK 2026 Season: Schedule, Teams and New Locations
The 2026 LCK season represents a significant evolution in professional League of Legends esports, balancing established competitive structures with strategic geographic expansion.
- The 2026 LCK season runs from April 1 to September 13, featuring ten franchise organizations including T1, Gen.G, Dplus KIA, and KT Rolster.
- The league is implementing the 'Fearless Draft' format to increase tactical diversity and performance volatility across matches.
- The LCK is expanding its international footprint by hosting the DRX Homefront event in Hanoi, Vietnam, to target the Southeast Asian market.
USA Esports Named ENC National Team Partner
USA Esports has been appointed as the official partner to manage and represent United States national teams for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh.
- USA Esports has been appointed as the official partner to manage and select U.S. national teams for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) taking place in Riyadh in November 2026.
- Daniel Clerke, esports director at USA Esports, will serve as the U.S. national team manager and oversee the roster selection process for the 16 game titles featured in the tournament.
- The ENC is organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and will feature national teams from over 100 countries, with subsequent editions scheduled to occur biennially.
Esports Awards Parent Elevates Producer to Senior Leadership
The Mobile, Esports and Gaming Alliance (MEGA), the parent company of the Esports Awards, has promoted Morgan Tremaine to the position of Executive Producer.
- The Mobile, Esports and Gaming Alliance (MEGA), parent company of the Esports Awards, has promoted long-time producer Morgan Tremaine to the role of Executive Producer.
- In his new senior leadership position, Tremaine will manage publisher, commercial, and strategic partner relations for MEGA’s events while supporting the company's agency operations.
- Tremaine has served as a producer for the Esports Awards since 2023 and previously held roles at Esports Engine, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and TMZ.
Honor of Kings vs MLBB: Esports Launches in India
The Indian mobile gaming landscape is undergoing a strategic shift as Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang aggressively introduce dedicated esports initiatives to capture market share.
- Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang launched dedicated esports initiatives in India in March 2026 to capture market share through direct qualification paths to the Esports World Cup 2026.
- MOBA publishers are investing in local infrastructure and competitive prize pools to establish a foothold in the Indian market, with organizations like S8UL Esports leading initial audience engagement efforts.
- The expansion of MOBA titles faces significant competition from the entrenched popularity of battle royale games like BGMI and Free Fire, which currently dominate the Indian mobile gaming landscape.
Team Vitality Exits StarCraft II as 6th Most-Watched Organization
Team Vitality has officially concluded its involvement in the StarCraft II esports landscape, marking the end of a two-year tenure within the discipline.
- Team Vitality has officially exited StarCraft II after a two-year tenure, citing the game's exclusion from the 2026 Esports World Cup as a primary factor.
- Despite their limited two-year participation, Team Vitality ranks as the sixth most-watched organization in the history of StarCraft II esports.
- The organization generated over 2.1 million hours of live viewership during their time in the StarCraft II competitive scene.
LEC EMEA Masters Offers Pipeline to the Esports World Cup
Riot Games has integrated the 2026 LEC EMEA Masters into the qualification pathway for the Esports World Cup (EWC), marking a significant shift in the developer’s competitive ecosystem.
- Riot Games has integrated the 2026 EMEA Masters Winter tournament as a direct qualification pathway to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh.
- The top two teams from the 36-team EMEA Masters Winter event will advance to compete against 10 LEC teams for a spot at the EWC.
- EMEA Masters Winter begins on March 9, 2026, and features a three-stage format consisting of a Champions Round, a 32-team Group Stage, and a double-elimination Playoff bracket.