A record 710 third-level students competed in the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series in 2025/26, with new figures pointing to a growing grassroots community and deeper engagement across the academic year.
Participation rose 15 per cent year on year and 27 per cent across the four seasons covered by comparable data, according to Ireland Esports Leagues’ first annual report, State of Esports in Ireland: Collegiate Edition.
Published ahead of the series’ tenth season, which begins on Monday, October 12, the report draws on measured participation across approximately 18 colleges and universities on the island of Ireland.
For potential commercial partners, the value lies in the evidence of sustained involvement. The average participant now competes across around 1.5 semesters and 1.9 different game titles, with both measures increasing in each of the four years tracked.
“Students aren’t just trying it once; they’re coming back, across more titles and more of the year,” said Kurt Pittman, Founder and CEO of Ireland Esports League.
“That’s a grassroots base that’s both broadening and deepening at the same time — and a fitting place to be as we begin our tenth collegiate season.”
The findings also underline the social structure supporting participation. Some 97 per cent of participants competed in team-based titles, while 95 per cent of participation was organised through college societies.
Students consistently ranked improving their skills and building friendships above winning prizes across the four years covered.
That gives universities and brands a useful steer on how to approach the community. Partnerships built around student experience, team development and opportunities to connect would align with the motivations identified in the report.
The series also continues to attract newcomers. Between 65 and 83 per cent of each year’s players were new to the competition, with the proportion arriving without previous competitive experience increasing.
“Building something that consistently brings new people in — and keeps them — across eighteen institutions is what we’re most focused on, and it’s where the tenth season’s work is pointed,” said Rónán Monaghan, Operations Lead at Ireland Esports League.
The report records growth in the channels through which IEL reaches its audience. Its combined channel following has reached 6,268, an increase of 44 per cent across three seasons, while its community Discord has passed 2,000 members. Its directly addressable database has more than doubled to 2,072 contacts.
Former collegiate participants have also gone on to selection for Ireland’s Esports Nations Cup squads, illustrating a pathway from campus competition to national representation.
Stuart Dempsey of GamerFest Dublin and the NEXUS Games Summit, who contributes the report’s foreword, highlighted the significance of having a consistent evidence base.
“What Ireland Esports Leagues has developed in the collegiate space is the kind of consistent, measurable foundation that makes it easier for universities, brands and partners to engage with confidence,” he said.
“The evidence is now there. Season 10 feels like a natural moment to build on it.”
The collegiate series has run continuously since 2017, initially as ICE and subsequently as Legion Collegiate, before becoming the IECS under IEL in 2022.
Sport for Business Perspective
The report provides a clear basis for discussing esports partnerships, with measured participation over time, repeat engagement, and a community whose stated priorities centre on improvement and friendship.
A free summary is available at irelandesportsleagues.com/report, where you can also request the full designed report and Insight Pack.
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