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Hosting international esports competitions in Paris is part of the city’s ongoing strategy to diversify its offering of major international events. Both at Paris Plenitude Arena, and at et à Paris Expo Portes de Versailles (Viparis), this type of event demonstrates the capital’s ability to host complex events that combine sporting performance, technological innovation and live global broadcasting.
For Paris je t'aime - Convention Bureau, these events send a strong signal regarding the evolution of Paris’s positioning within the cultural and creative industries, as well as in new formats of business tourism.
Organised by Gentle Mates in a tournament format, the Call of Duty Major IV will take place at the Plenitude Arena from 26 to 28 June 2026. This is an international esports competition that forms part of the official Call of Duty League circuit, marking a key stage in the season, during which the twelve best professional teams compete in Call of Duty to qualify for the championship finals.
Organised in a hybrid format combining the teams’ presence on stage with a global live stream, Major IV meets the highest standards of professional esports. It demonstrates Paris’s ability to host complex events requiring advanced audiovisual production, immersive staging and high-level international logistics.
Hosting the Call of Duty League Major IV at Paris Plenitude Arena marks an important milestone in Paris’s development as a leading destination for international esports competitions.
Previous hybrid editions provide a measure of the growing scale of this type of competition. At the CDL Challenge held in Toronto in 2024, more than 10,000 spectators were in attendance, illustrating the ability of these events to attract a large live audience. Furthermore, these competitions generate an average of around 200,000 online viewers, confirming a massive and engaged global digital audience.
As for Paris, other esports events organised in the city also confirm this momentum. The Paris Blast TV Major in 2023, in particular, attracted nearly 50,000 spectators, demonstrating the destination’s commitment to esports.
From a tourism perspective, initial indicators observed around the competition in Paris show an overall neutral impact on the Parisian hotel sector as a whole.
However, a more detailed analysis reveals a slightly more favourable trend in the arrondissements located near major event venues, particularly in the 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissements, where a projected increase of approximately +2.1% in the occupancy rate is observed on the dates in question. This situation reflects a dispersal of visitor flows rather than an excessive concentration in the heart of the capital.
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Pierre Rabadan, adjoint à la Maire de Paris
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From 6 July to 23 August 2026, Paris will host one of the world’s biggest esports events with the Esports World Cup taking place at Paris Expo Portes de Versailles. With a prize pool of $75 million, nearly 2,000 players, over 100 countries represented and seven weeks of competition, the event stands out as one of the world’s biggest esports competitions, bringing together the best international players and clubs.
Originally organised in Saudi Arabia, this edition has found in Paris an ecosystem capable of hosting events of such a scale. Paris will therefore host 25 tournaments across 24 disciplines, with the participation of over 200 international clubs.
This choice confirms a trajectory that is already well established. Paris has gradually built up recognised expertise in hosting the biggest international esports competitions, through landmark events such as the final of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, and the Rocket League Major scheduled for 2026.
This momentum is underpinned by a structured strategy, led by the City of Paris and Paris je t'aime, notably through the esports taskforce, which has been bringing together since 2026
This momentum is underpinned by a structured strategy led by the City of Paris and Paris je t'aime, notably through the esports taskforce, which since 202 has been bringing together stakeholders from the ecosystem around a common goal: to position Paris as a European leader in esports within five years.
Beyond the event itself, esports represents a major and rapidly expanding economic sector, with growth estimated at nearly $9 billion by 2032. It now rivals traditional sport in terms of audience size and engagement.
The ecosystem is built on a global community estimated at nearly 3 billion players, 48% of whom are women, confirming an audience that is young, international and diverse.
The economic benefits of major events also underscore this trend. The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 generated approximately $32.4 million in economic benefits for the destination, illustrating esports’ ability to generate direct and measurable economic impacts for host regions.
The summer of 2026 will thus mark a pivotal milestone in this trajectory, confirming Paris’s ability to combine event excellence, international appeal and innovation in the cultural and creative industries.
