Mobile Legends Leads Week One Viewership at Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup kicked off last week, bringing players and top teams from across the world together to complete across a wide array of games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The first games showcased at the event are:

• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• League of Legends
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Dota 2

While the event is not without controversy due to its location and allegations of so-called "esportswashing", thousands of gamers tuned in to the inital broadcast. Esports Charts has released viewership data for the first four EWC titles, showing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continues to command a strong international audience.

Related Article: Esports World Cup League of Legends Tournament Guide — Teams, Schedule, Where to Watch

While League of Legends remains generally regarded as the world's biggest esport, it cannot be overstated how popular mobile titles have become outside of the United States. Mobile Legends has been a top tier esport in Southeast Asia for years. That popularity is reflected by MLBB's position as the only game to break 1 million concurrent viewers during the first weekend of the Esports World Cup.

Related Article: Esports World Cup Warzone Tournament Guide — Teams, Schedule, Where to Watch

League of Legends followed close behind with a peak viewership of 774K concurrent viewers. As some fans, especially those critical of the EWC may have expected, this number pales in comparison to the peak viewership of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, which reached 1.9 million concurrent viewers across all platforms (excluding China). While it may not be a perfect comparison, these are the benchmarks the EWC will be aiming to overcome if it hopes to truly establish itself as a championship-level even for the biggest games in the ecosystem.