After a three-year break, China has recovered the top spot in esports prize money.
According to the most recent Safe Betting Sites estimates, Chinese esports players won a total of $37 million in prize money in 2021, propelling the team to the top of the worldwide winners list. China had finished second to the United States for the previous three years.
The United States is presently in second place, with prize money totaling $22.8 million.China has taken the lead for the first time since 2017, according to statistics from Esports Learnings. In 2018, and for the next few years after that, American players routinely outperformed Chinese players in terms of prize money.
The entire prize pool for Chinese esports players jumped from $17.9 million to $37.1 million in 2021. At the same time, figures in the United States fell.
For example, in 2019, US players received $43.6 million, which dropped to $23.1 million in 2020 and $22.8 million in 2021. Since 2019, the number of players representing the United States has constantly fallen.
Russian esports players came in third, slightly behind the United States, after failing to make the top ten countries in 2019. Last year, Russian gamers came in sixth place with $4.4 million in prize money; but, in 2021, they came in third place with $21.9 million, winning third place on the list.
South Korea has dropped to fourth place with a total of $11.6 million, after being third in 2019 and 2020. Ukraine is in fifth place, with $10.3 million in revenue. Previously, the Eastern European country had not placed in the top ten in either 2019 or 2020.
Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and Denmark round out the top ten list for 2021.
“China and Ukraine were the greatest winners in esports tournaments in 2021,” said Vyom Chaudhary, an editor at Safe Betting Sites. Following its high in 2019, the US representation has decreased greatly. In 2021, the pandemic’s effects could still be seen in the US esports scene.”