When it comes to eSports, only a few people think of sports first. Overwhelmingly, eSports focus on FPSs, RTSs, and MOBAs. Games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends rule the roost in terms of popularity, media coverage, prize pools, and team popularity. Still, that doesn’t mean that sports simulations aren’t successful—even if they receive less attention.
Sports simulations were among the first organized leagues to hit the mainstream. Thanks to efforts from real-life leagues like the NFL in the US and the Premier League in the UK, sports simulation gamers have had access to highly compelling leagues that include actual teams and rosters from real life.
For example, an American football fan who wants to place a bet on the Super Bowl can use a free bet offer from oddschecker, which includes brands like bet365. As they search for money lines and prop bets to back, they will interact with the same data points, players, and matchup stats as they would in a game like Madden NFL. Knowledge of league results can help players perform better and vice versa.
Viewed this way, sports simulations offer a unique way for fans to immerse themselves in their favorite sport. However, for competitive players, the goal is always to defeat their competitors. Let’s look at the world’s most competitive sports simulation leagues.
Racing
Regarding eSports, racing simulations are some of the most established and competitive in the world. First, there’s the famous iRacing platform, which delivers on realism. iRacing has been around for a while and now has an official partnership with NASCAR with its eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.
However, iRacing requires quite a bit of hardware investment, unlike others. Along with iRacing, the Le Mans Virtual Series has picked up a few major headlines recently. F1 star Max Verstappen was featured for the official 2023 season. Along with Verstappen, other industry legends like Felipe Drugovich have also put the Le Mans Virtual Series on the map.
However, ESL and Rennsport recently launched a 48-driver league in 2023 with a prize pool of over $500,000. Since its launch, teams like FaZe Clan and G2 have joined. However, it’s unclear whether the league will be renewed in 2024.
Football (Soccer)
Racing is by far the most developed sports simulation presence in competitive gaming—but football or soccer is close behind. Much of this is thanks to the reach of FIFA and EA, which have worked together closely to build interest and infrastructure in football eSports.
The organizations launched the FIFA World Cup, in which teams like Fnatic compete. Similarly, there’s also the FIFAe Nations Cup, which focuses on national teams rather than clubs.
However, EA Sports and FIFA are now parting ways. This has led some to focus on the Konami project of the eFootball Championship Pro, a game once known as Pro Evolution Soccer. Interestingly, the game includes NIL licensing from actual teams like FC Barcelona and Arsenal, which would have made it a hit with fans if the graphics and design hadn’t been universally panned. Whether this new league has the playability to survive remains to be seen.
NBA
Let’s round off this list with North America’s most video-game-happy league: the NBA. For decades, the NBA has been highly involved in the gaming industry.
Along with simulations, the league has granted NIL to fantasy simulations like NBA Jam and super-star releases like Shaq-Fu and Barkley Shut Up and Jam!
Over the last two decades, the NBA has worked with 2K Sports to launch its official game releases. The NBA and 2K have also launched the 2K League, which regularly pays over $2.5 million to competitors. Like FIFA and EA’s previous releases, 2K League includes eSports rosters for 32 NBA teams. Gamers are drafted based on their track records and represent real-life teams, just like the UK’s ePremier League.