Diarmuid Early has won the Microsoft Excel World Championship 2025, beating 23 other players in the LAN finals.
The three-day event took place at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, bringing together the world’s top Microsoft Excel players.
The finals saw the remaining 24 players compete to solve a complex case using Microsoft’s spreadsheet software. The final case, inspired by origami, involved players using their knowledge of the software to complete 130 questions spread across seven levels.
The winner of the tournament would be the first person to answer all the questions correctly, securing a themed championship belt and $5,000 (~£3,747) in prize money.
Every five minutes, a player was eliminated from the final until six remained. After an hour of problem-solving, Diarmuid Early topped the scoreboard with 1,250 points, over 300 points ahead of three-time world champion Andrew Ngai.
Early is no stranger to success in the Microsoft Excel esports scene. The founder of Early Days Consulting is a five-time finalist of ModelOff, a financial modelling competition that ran from 2012 to 2019.
The world championship finals are the culmination of the Excel Esports season, which began in January. The online phase of the competition began in October, with 150 players taking part.
What Next For Excel Esports?
With another competitive season wrapped up, information on the 2026 edition of the Microsoft Excel World Championship has yet to be revealed. Despite this, the global technology firm continues to support various competitive initiatives surrounding its office software.
The 2026 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship heads to Anaheim, California, from July 26th to 29th, with teams from across the world competing in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel competitions to win a share of the prize money.
The Microsoft Excel World Championship is an excellent example of how esports doesn’t have to involve video games as its main focus.
