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eSports

25 Most Successful Esports Countries by Prize Money so far in 2020

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25 Most Successful Countries by Esports Prize Money so far in 2020
Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

– United States leads the way winning $7.2m

– Brazilian players most in form this year 

– Bulgarian and Danish players win the most prize money per person on average

– Only 60% of tournaments played compared to this time last year

New Unikrn research shows players are winning MORE on average so far in 2020 than 2019 – despite pandemic

Esports players from the top 25 countries are earning more average prize money in 2020 so far than at the same point in 2019, new research shows.

Despite a number of tournaments being cancelled, professional gaming is still thriving during a global pandemic.

So much that despite playing 40% less tournaments than at this point last year, players are earning more money on average per tournament.

World-leading esports bookmakers Unikrn have revealed the finding after analysing the top 25 countries for prize money so far this year.

By the end of June last year, $67million had been won by more than 26,000 players from 2,715 tournaments across the esports circuit.

Whereas by the same time this year, only $38.8m was won by almost 11,000 players in 1,622 tournaments.

The average tournament prize pool was very similar each year – in 2019 it sat at $23,988, compared to $23,920 in 2020.

However, in the first half of 2019, players were only winning on average $2,492 compared to individuals taking home $3,652 in 2020.

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The research also found that like last year the United States leads the way at the halfway point of 2020 with players winning a massive $7.2m in prize money.

Identical to the first six months of 2019, China and Korea make up the top three.

Brazil are the biggest movers in 2020 rising from 9th to 4th in the rankings helped by Magic World Championship XXVI champion PVDDR’s $300k victory.

The highest prize money to player ratio sits with Bulgaria, maybe surprisingly. Their top 5 players including Complexity’s poiz0n are spread across CS:GO, DOTA2 and League of Legends.

The Danish also have a high turnover on prize money with 173 players averaging $9,564.

In 2019, the prize money across esports increased heavily from huge tournaments such as DOTA2’s The International setting a prize pot of $35million and the Fortnite World Cup Finals.

But with both of these tournaments cancelled and many others postponed, total prize money for 2020 is estimated to be considerably lower than 2019.

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Most Successful Countries By Prize Money Won (All Esports)

2019 (Jan-July) 2020 (Jan-July)
Country Total Prize Money Players Average prize money Country Total Prize Money Players Average prize money
1 United States $10,079,707.15 5902 $1,707.85 1 United States $7,280,222.31 1999 $3,641.93
2 Korea $5,438,336.48 1377 $3,949.41 2 China $3,093,705.23 379 $8,162.81
3 China $4,876,979.55 1027 $4,748.76 3 Korea $2,356,078.82 573 $4,111.83
4 France $2,290,981.17 1378 $1,662.54 4 Brazil $2,284,006.59 420 $5,438.11
5 Denmark $2,234,162.91 652 $3,426.63 5 Russian Federation $1,718,361.31 454 $3,784.94
6 Russia $2,179,829.93 855 $2,549.51 6 France $1,703,512.13 441 $3,862.84
7 Canada $2,011,038.76 884 $2,274.93 7 Denmark $1,654,614.71 173 $9,564.25
8 Sweden $1,933,771.15 712 $2,715.97 8 United Kingdom $1,327,882.15 348 $3,815.75
9 Brazil $1,861,949.00 989 $1,882.66 9 Canada $1,307,092.60 319 $4,097.47
10 Germany $1,824,623.63 1032 $1,768.05 10 Germany $1,304,784.38 500 $2,609.57
11 Finland $1,672,037.47 405 $4,128.49 11 Sweden $1,176,960.10 215 $5,474.23
12 United Kingdom $1,438,156.76 915 $1,571.76 12 Australia $891,602.63 359 $2,483.57
13 Australia $1,278,719.22 838 $1,525.92 13 Thailand $826,835.23 314 $2,633.23
14 Poland $1,158,065.87 624 $1,855.87 14 Finland $792,457.03 96 $8,254.76
15 Philippines $1,106,753.39 200 $5,533.77 15 Poland $596,336.18 221 $2,698.35
16 Japan $973,735.09 406 $2,398.36 16 Ukraine $574,589.16 112 $5,130.26
17 Thailand $882,805.98 350 $2,522.30 17 Norway $439,630.18 67 $6,561.64
18 Bulgaria $860,229.50 118 $7,290.08 18 Netherlands $399,067.54 150 $2,660.45
19 Norway $714,775.28 225 $3,176.78 19 Japan $325,085.28 223 $1,457.78
20 Spain $625,412.64 392 $1,595.44 20 Bulgaria $310,401.72 24 $12,933.41
21 Ukraine $623,458.01 278 $2,242.65 21 Philippines $290,771.52 71 $4,095.37
22 Taiwan $600,532.10 211 $2,846.12 22 Turkey $281,767.76 128 $2,201.31
23 Netherlands $519,272.80 451 $1,151.38 23 Malaysia $252,612.81 43 $5,874.72
24 Italy $490,560.54 137 $3,580.73 24 Argentina $251,784.40 79 $3,187.14
25 Malaysia $463,826.66 175 $2,650.44 25 Estonia $240,863.04 37 $6,509.81

Total Prize Money, Tournaments and Players (All Esports)

2019 (Jan-July) 2020 (Jan – July)
Total Prize Money $66,992,940.50 Total Prize Money $38,798,059.63
Total Tournaments 2715 Total Tournaments 1622
Total Players 26141 Total Players 10625
Average tournament prize pool $23,987.94 Average tournament prize pool $23,919.89
Average player prize money $2,492.18 Average player prize money $3,651.58

Best Countries By Average Player Prize Money

Country Average prize money per player
Bulgaria $12,933.41
Denmark $9,564.25
Finland $8,254.76
China $8,162.81
Norway $6,561.64
Estonia $6,509.81
Malaysia $5,874.72
Sweden $5,474.23
Brazil $5,438.11
Ukraine $5,130.26

**Stats from www.esportsearnings.com – does not include information about salaries, bonuses or sponsorships

George Miller started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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