Esports Around The World is a series of profiles outlining the esports ecosystem in various countries globally. The series ties into ESI’s international esports business events, which take place around the world.
Introduction
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country located in Northwestern Europe, bordered by its Benelux brethren Luxembourg and the Netherlands, alongside Germany and France.
Belgium is perhaps most known for being the home to several well-known players in Counter-Strike, Fortnite, Rocket League and League of Legends. Former Fnatic and current FlyQuest League of Legends player Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau, was born on Christmas Eve in Belgium. Ex-G2 Esports CS:GO player Adil ‘ScreaM’ Benrilton has been plying his trade in tier-one VALORANT for the last few years. Meanwhile, Belgian Rocket League player Maëllo ‘AztraL’ Ernst has competed int several top-tier events.
In terms of organisations, arguably the most-known name to come out of the country was Epsilon. Founded in 2008, the organisation competed in Counter-Strike: Source and CS:GO on an international level for more than a decade before reportedly closing its doors in 2019. Some of the best-known players in the history of Counter-Strike played for Epsilon during their careers, including the likes of JW, flusha, shox, apEX, smooya and blameF. Another popular Belgian organisation, Sector One, also announced its closure in 2023.
There are currently not a lot of Belgian-based esports organisations that are active internationally. Interestingly, one of the strongest esports teams in Belgium is KRC Genk Esports, the esports division of football club Genk. The club fields teams in League of Legends, EA FC and Counter-Strike 2. Other Belgian football clubs have EA FC rosters that compete in the eProLeague, the official esports league for the Jupiler Pro League, Belgium’s top-flight football competition.
Outside of the competitive front, Belgium is also the home of Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere, one of esports’ best-known broadcast personalities. Depoortere is known for her work as a stage and event host for some of the most prominent esports events including League of Legends World Championships and Counter-Strike IEM events. Belgium-based Unlocked is also a notable esports company in the scene, producing the likes of Elite Series: League of Legends.
From an event standpoint, the country’s crowning moment came in 2022 when the city of Antwerp hosted the PGL Major in Counter-Strike. The event is currently the second most popular Counter-Strike tournament ever, recording a peak viewership of 2.1m, and is the largest-ever esports event to take place in the country.
Government recognition
In 2020, the Flemish Department of Education and Training integrated video games into mainstream education via school programmes in the country. However, despite the government’s willingness to integrate video games into the country, Belgium has not yet recognised esports as a sport.
Notable Tournaments & Leagues
Belgium’s largest international tournament was the PGL Major Antwerp. However, teams from the country participate in several Benelux-focused tournaments and leagues. Belgium also has a large-scale student esports tournament, the Belgian Student League.
| Belgian Student League | PGL Major Antwerp 2022 |
| Benelux Masters | Proximus eProLeague |
| Orange Elite Series League of Legends |
Notable Esports Organisations
Note that this is a non-exhaustive list and exclusion does not signify an org is not notable.
National Association(s) / Federation(s)
Note that inclusion in this list does not suggest any acknowledgment from ESI of its authority, works, or official capacity.
Education initiatives
The VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and the Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy – Department of Movement and Sports Sciences created an Esports Management course together with the Belgian Esports Federation in 2019. The course takes place between January and June and has 12 seminars on esports and business topics. Moreover, Howest University of Applied Sciences launched the nation’s first bachelor’s degree in esports in 2022.
Belgium also has a presence in the collegiate esports scene. The Belgian Student League sees teams from the country’s universities compete in Rocket League, League of Legends and EA FC 24.
This is a preliminary country profile and will be augmented with additional information over time. If you have any suggestions or feedback for this profile, please get in touch at [email protected]. First published: March 7th 2024.
