In the grand scheme of things Esports is a relatively new industry, and that means it’s always innovating, shifting, changing and growing. In 2026, you can expect a much different landscape to the one you saw in 2025, and it’s important to keep up with the newest and largest esports scenes if you want to make your sportsbook a trusted hub for esports fans.
While League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 continue to be mainstays when it comes to steady, popular esports scenes, there are some up-and-coming esports titles that are worth keeping an eye on in 2026.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
This mobile MOBA is probably a lot bigger than you know. Although it hasn’t achieved mainstream recognition in North America or Europe quite yet, it’s one of the most popular esports – mobile or otherwise – in Southeast Asia.
The MPL Indonesia Season 15 tournament series became the second-most-watched tournament of 2025 with over 488,500 average viewers and a peak of 4.1 million during the Finals (and other ML:BB tournaments also made the Top 10). The M7 World Championship went on to smash the mobile esports record viewership record with a peak of more than 5.5 million in January 2026, per Esports Charts.
Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia are currently extremely dominant in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with huge fanbases and government support for the scene in each country. The game also recently arrived in China, bringing another country into the scene. It’s still early days for China, but this expansion could cement ML:BB as one of the biggest esports scenes in the world.
Many mobile games are looking at localisation strategies for other regions in 2026, including Free Fire and Honor of Kings. You can expect to see a lot more fanfare for ML:BB and other mobile esports this year and beyond. Brazil has already picked up on the hype due to the accessibility and social focus of mobile esports.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang may be the mobile title of the moment, but don’t forget about newcomers like Rainbow Six Mobile and VALORANT Mobile that are starting to see growth in limited countries ahead of a global launch. Mobile esports could well overtake traditional esports in the near future.
2XKO
Fighting games have often flown somewhat under the radar in the esports industry. While Capcom, SNK, and Bandai Namco have started to grow pretty large circuits with hefty prize pools, the Fighting Game Community (FGC) has largely been a grassroots scene. While fans are extremely passionate, the communities for fighting games are simply smaller than mainstream esports.
However, 2XKO could shake up the FGC ecosystem. Riot Games’ 2v2 fighter is a complex and competitive entry that has well-known League of Legends champions on the roster and the support of a publisher that’s successfully launched tons of esports scenes such as LoL and VALORANT.
Over the last year, Riot has been showing just how dedicated it is to establishing 2XKO as an esport. It has been creating a lot of mainstream content through a partnership with restaurant chain Chipotle and has continued to share developer vlogs and gameplay trailers.
In 2026, Riot is introducing the Competitive Series with 20 sanctioned tournaments: 15 Challenges and five Majors. The first Major will be at Frosty Faustings in January 2026. With a promising esports roadmap ahead of it, 2XKO could be the fighting game that finally shoots to mainstream popularity.
Meanwhile, community tournaments have brought out some of the best fighting game players in the world, creating a strong foundation going into the 2026 roadmap. Melee pro William “Leffen” Hjelte and EVO champion Dominique “SonicFox” McLean already have a heated rivalry that is sure to bring in tons of pre-existing FGC fans.
Marvel Rivals
NetEase’s hero shooter has been consistently popular throughout 2025, but the publisher has committed to boosting its esports scene in 2026. We recently got a full rundown of the Marvel Rivals Professional League, which should make Marvel Rivals’ esports scene a lot more organised and intense.
The Pre-Season is kicking off in April across four regions, followed by Ignite Stage One, then the Mid-Season Finals, then Ignite Stage Two, followed by the Grand Finals in November. The Pre-Season is new for 2026, underlining the game’s competitive growth.
Marvel Rivals has continued to be a popular shooter around the world, and developers have created a promotion/relegation system to carve a clearer path for hopeful teams to join the Professional League. NetEase clearly wants to grow its esports scene, allowing teams to earn points in the MRC 2026 to earn a spot with the League teams, alongside launching an Esports Partner Teams Program.
The more support from the developer, the more hope there is that Marvel Rivals will become an established esport in 2026.
