Mobile Legends tops H1 2026 live esports viewership

Data for the first half of 2026 show Mobile Legends: Bang Bang recorded the highest single-match peak audience, reaching 5,680,511 viewers at the M7 World Championship in January.

Counter-Strike reached the second spot among games after the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Grand Final between FURIA and Team Falcons drew 2,752,353 peak viewers. The championship match set all-time viewership records for both finalist organizations.

League of Legends registered a 2,270,021 peak during the LCK 2026 Road to MSI qualifier when T1 defeated Gen.G 3-2 to secure the final MSI 2026 spot. Gen.G, the 2025 MSI champions, failed to qualify and will not defend the title on home soil. The LCK Road to MSI event ranked fourth among H1 tournaments by peak viewership.

Two other titles surpassed one million peak viewers in H1. PUBG Mobile reached 1,077,552 peak viewers at the Global Open 2026 Season 1, and VALORANT reached 1,071,916 peak viewers at Masters London 2026. By peak numbers, PUBG Mobile and VALORANT placed fourth and fifth among games for the period.

Mobile Legends events occupied multiple positions among the top tournaments. MPL Indonesia Season 17 attracted 2,948,968 peak viewers for its Grand Final between ONIC Esports and Bigetron by Vitality, a figure below the league’s all-time record set in Season 15 and marking a second consecutive season of lower peak viewership. The Season 17 final delivered Bigetron by Vitality’s first major championship and became the most-watched match in the organization’s history. MPL Philippines Season 17 reached 1,695,073 peak viewers during the Grand Final between Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons PH, the second-highest peak in the league’s history and roughly 100,000 viewers short of the Season 15 record.

By game, the top five peaks in H1 2026 were Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at 5,680,511, Counter-Strike at 2,752,353, League of Legends at 2,270,021, PUBG Mobile at 1,077,552 and VALORANT at 1,071,916. The leading tournaments by peak viewership were the M7 World Championship, MPL Indonesia Season 17, IEM Cologne Major 2026, LCK 2026 Road to MSI and MPL Philippines Season 17.

Event-level dashboards published by tournament organizers provide detailed breakdowns of concurrent viewership by platform, region and language. Several titles that recorded high peaks in the first half will hold flagship world championship events in the second half of 2026.

Earlier, we reported that Moonton has released patch 2.1.94 for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang test server with a set of hero nerfs, control changes and system and mode updates.