Around 400 million members of Generation Z (20% of this age group) regularly follow esports. These findings come from the large-scale international study, "The Esports Generation: Who They Are & Why They Spend," conducted by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), Hero Esports, and Niko Partners.
The study is based on a survey of 8,000 esports fans aged 13 to 30 across eight global markets.
Men still make up the majority of the audience (68%), but the share of women within esports culture is steadily growing, particularly at LAN events. At the DreamHack Birmingham 2026 spring festival in the United Kingdom, women accounted for 41% of attendees, while at China's PEL and KPL leagues, this figure exceeded 50%.
Generation Z engages with esports through various forms of media: 71% of respondents watch gaming content, 66% watch streams, 33% listen to esports-related podcasts, and 30% are active on forums and dedicated social media groups. In addition, 21% regularly attend offline events, with the average fan having attended at least one live event over the past nine months.
Esports has also proven to be a highly effective marketing channel. According to the study, 85% of respondents notice brand presence within the esports ecosystem, while 74% say it directly influences their purchasing decisions. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) have purchased products as a result of collaborations or co-branding partnerships involving esports teams, players, or games.
Generation Z also demonstrates diverse interests outside of esports. Music ranks as the leading hobby (48%), followed by streaming movies and TV series (37%), traditional sports (36%), fitness (31%), entertainment shows (29%), and the beauty industry (26%).
At the same time, the study highlights a dramatic shift away from traditional media formats: 26% of respondents do not watch broadcast or cable television at all during a typical week, while another 20% spend less than one hour watching TV, having fully transitioned to online platforms.
Executives from ESL FACEIT Group, Hero Esports, and Niko Partners unanimously emphasized that esports has evolved into a global cultural and economic force. For modern brands, it is no longer a niche market but a leading platform for scaling businesses and building long-term trust with a new generation of consumers, who are active participants in the ecosystem rather than merely passive viewers.
As a reminder, streamer IShowSpeed has been added as a playable character in FIFA's new official game.