Mobile MOBA title Honor of Kings has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest live attendance ever for an esports match.
Taking place on November 8th, the event saw All Gamers (AG Super Play) defeat Wolves Esports 4-2 at China’s National Stadium, the Bird’s Nest, in front of 62,196 people.
According to Guinness World Records, the feat beats the previous record of 45,000, which was achieved during the PES 2016 UEFA Euro 2016 event in Paris. The event took place during football’s 2016 Euros and was immediately followed by a watch party for the semi-finals between France and Germany at the same venue.
Celebrating 10 Years
The record-breaking milestone comes as Honor of Kings celebrates its 10-year anniversary since its launch in China. Since then, the game has gone on to launch globally in 2024 and establish one of the biggest esports leagues in China, the King Pro League (KPL).
Now in its ninth year, the King Pro League is Honor of Kings’ year-long semi-franchised tier-one circuit. The match between AG Super Play and Wolves Esports was for the KPL Grand Finals 2025 trophy, the ecosystem’s biggest event alongside the Honor of Kings International Championship (KIC).
The event proved to be incredibly popular with fans across China as the finals sold out within 12 seconds of tickets going live. Esports Insider was also informed by parties involved in the event that 85% of those ticket sales came from fans outside of Beijing.
Guinness World Records officials were on hand to recognise the achievement and make the record-breaking announcement during the event’s half-time show.
For an in-depth look into Honor of Kings’ esports popularity in China, check out Esports Insider’s feature here.
This is not the first time that the iconic Bird’s Nest has hosted an esports event, with the venue previously used for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship. Interestingly, Honor of Kings was not the only esport to conclude a major event in China this weekend.
Returning to the country, League of Legends hosted its 2025 World Championships in Chengdu’s Dong’an Lake Sports Park Multifunctional Gymnasium. Meanwhile, Counter-Strike 2 event IEM Chengdu took place in the Financial City Performing Arts Center.
What is Next for Honor of Kings Esports?
Following the conclusion of the KPL Grand Finals, eyes will now be on the imminent 2025 Honor of Kings International Championship. The global event will showcase the best Honor of Kings teams outside of China, with the winning team securing a lion’s share of its $1m (~£763,000) prize pool.
Moreover, the top three teams at KIC 2025 will participate in the 2025 Honor of Kings Challenger Cup. Set to commence in December, the competition will feature KPL and KIC teams alongside women’s, streamer, tier-two and grassroots rosters.
AG Super Play will once again walk into the event as favourites, having now won six consecutive tier-one KPL events in a row alongside the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025.
