New data from the Esports World Cup 2026, which took place in Paris from July 6 to August 23, shows that the live betting market dominated consumer activity. According to statistics released by DATA BET, 70.9% of all wagers placed during the event occurred in the live format.
The tournament, which featured a $75 million prize pool and was held outside of Saudi Arabia for the first time, covered 24 different disciplines. Four titles accounted for 93% of the total betting volume: Counter-Strike 2 led with 41% of wagers, followed by Dota 2 at 31.8%, Valorant at 11.7%, and League of Legends at 8.5%.
Engagement patterns varied significantly by game. Dota 2 saw the highest share of in-play activity, with 87.7% of its total turnover occurring live. Conversely, Counter-Strike 2 attracted the largest portion of pre-match bets at 29.1%. Analysts noted that the complexity of drafting phases in games like Dota 2 and League of Legends often encourages bettors to wait for the match to begin before placing their wagers to gather more information.
Team Spirit, FURIA, and FUT Esports emerged as the most popular clubs among bettors during the event. Three of the matches with the highest turnover involved CS2, specifically those featuring Team Spirit, who ultimately secured the tournament victory in that discipline. While the event showcased extensive variety in competitive gaming, DATA BET observed that some of the newly introduced titles still lag behind the primary established disciplines in terms of betting market popularity.
Note: This article is based on publicly available sources and reflects information available at the time of publication. Details may change; check the original or official source for updates.
