Snapshot
4 min read

Football eSports: Europe’s Big 5

Perhaps the biggest emerging sector in the sports industry, how are the major European football leagues responding to eSports?

  • Professional eSports teams have formed in the European Big 5 at a rate of 10 per year on average since May 2015
  • 52% of clubs have turned to gaming partners to recruit players – the highest in Italy and France
  • 62% of football eSports teams have launched Twitter accounts with an average reach of just 12.5k

The lockdowns imposed by Covid-19 during 2020 have given rise to a lot of focus and discussion on eSports, which has become a significant element in the global sports industry.

In this piece we scratch the surface by deliberately looking only at the football side of eSports (an in-depth piece on the broader eSports sector is planned for early 2021) and take a look at the steps taken by the clubs of the Big 5 football leagues on the development of teams, talent and social media presence.