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Ever since Esports became popular fifteen years ago, numerous cities across the world have been vying to become the capital. This is a new, competitive market with plenty of opportunities to attract investment and talent.

The fan base is also growing. Every year, a new Esports event is breaking attendance records, proving how rapidly the scene is expanding and how deeply it’s embedding itself into mainstream culture. To tap into that would be incredibly lucrative, and yet still, there is no one city that has managed to call itself the Esport capital. But there is a city that has been successfully staking its claim.

Toronto in the Esports Race

Over the last few years, Toronto has been leveraging its diverse population and tech ecosystem to become a leading hub in the Esport arena, with the city hosting several major tournaments annually that attract thousands of fans from around the globe.

This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, of course. Just recently, Canada has seen a significant boom in its gaming market, thanks largely to the legalization and regulation of online casinos. In 2022, Ontario became the first Canadian province to launch a fully regulated online gambling market, allowing private operators to legally offer real money games under provincial oversight.

This move not only brought legitimacy to online casinos but also encouraged innovation and investment, benefitting players and the industry alike. And other provinces have been following suit. Right now, in Canada, there are over 90 legal sites across 10 provinces, with the best according to the expert Jemma McColgan, a Canadian pundit specialising in gambling, doing everything required to bolster and move the industry further forward.

Safety, security, accessibility, and user experience. These are the four pillars that determine a healthy online landscape, and they’re the same pillars that have boosted the Esports industry. iGaming and Esports are interconnected, of course. While they serve different audiences and operate under different models, both rely on digital infrastructure, evolving regulation, and high levels of community engagement to thrive. You can even bet on Esports at an online casino, just as you could for traditional sports.

So it’s no coincidence that Toronto has been experiencing success in both sectors. But can the city actually become the official capital, or are there other contenders in the mix? Before we get into the claim, let’s first take a look at Esports and how it’s been growing over the last decade.

The World of Esports: Explained

Esports, of course, refers to the world of competitive, organised video gaming. Players compete individually or in teams in games such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and more – with prize pools that rival traditional sporting events and tournaments drawing crowds in the thousands.

Technically, it’s been going since the late 70s, with the very earliest competitions taking place in arcades and university campuses. But while those early events laid the foundation, Esports as we know it didn’t truly emerge until the 2000s – fuelled by the rise of PC gaming and the birth of popular live-streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Since then, Esports has quickly evolved into a booming industry, complete with professional leagues and even sponsorships. Gamers around the world work hard to get better, become top athletes, and stay healthy and injury free, just as any other traditional athlete would!

Other Potential Esport Capitals

In Canada, the industry has followed a similar trajectory – from community-driven LAN parties and local tournaments to massive, sponsor-backed events in major arenas. But as we mentioned previously, Toronto isn’t the only city that has been taking advantage.

Another Esport hub that has been staking its claim is Seoul in South Korea. Even now, this location is considered the original home of Esports, with some of the earliest professional leagues taking place here.

Los Angeles is another strong contender, especially since it’s the headquarters for major game publishers like Riot Games and Activision Blizzard – two developers that have not only produced globally popular titles but also helped shape the competitive gaming landscape through their own leagues and tournaments.

Berlin, meanwhile, has carved out its role as Europe’s Esports powerhouse. As the home of the League of Legends EMEA Championship and a regular host of CS:GO Majors, the city has proven itself as a certified hub that can only rise higher as the industry grows – especially considering the substantial government support and international investment it’s been seeing over the last few years.

Toronto Topping the Rankings

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has also been pouring enormous investment into building its own Esports ecosystem, with the city hosting events like Gamers8, which featured prize pools exceeding $45 million in 2024 alone. So it goes without saying that there’s a healthy amount of competition for Toronto to deal with.

But the city is making an impact. Just last year, it hosted several major-level events, including the Call of Duty League Major III, the Valorant Champions Tour, and the Overwatch League Finals – all of which had substantial prize pools and broke records with venue attendance.

There are also plenty of developers and franchises – Ubisoft Toronto, Digital Extremes, and Next Level Games have all been contributing to the city’s growing reputation, culminating in a global $2 billion value for the industry.

Coupled with its growing ecosystem and investment, gamers around the world now recognise the city as the unofficial capital of Esports, and the more time goes by, the more official it’s getting. As we just mentioned, other cities are nipping at its heels, but for now, Toronto is holding its ground. And long may that continue!