Shanghai led the country in esports club numbers and the proportion of offline esports events hosted, according to an industry report released on July 31.

The Report on China's Esports Industry from January to June 2026 was unveiled at the 2026 Global Esports Games, an industry conference held alongside the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy 2026).

In the first half of this year, Shanghai hosted 23.9 percent of the country's offline esports events, the highest proportion nationwide, according to the report.

Among China's 164 esports clubs, Shanghai had the largest number, with 38, followed by Beijing and Shenzhen with 13 each and Chengdu with eight.

The report said China's esports industry generated about 13.12 billion yuan ($1.94 billion) in revenue, up 2.78 percent year-on-year.

Revenue from live streaming accounted for 80.43 percent of the total, while competitions, esports clubs and other segments contributed the remaining 19.57 percent.

China had 495 million esports users as of June, up 0.55 percent year-on-year, according to the report.

Building on its growing influence in the global esports sector, Shanghai has seen a steady influx of premier international esports events.

The main event of The International 2026, Dota 2's annual world championship, will be held at the Oriental Sports Center from Aug 20 to 23, along with a series of activities integrating culture, commerce, sports, tourism and exhibitions.

Shanghai's homegrown tournaments are also attracting increasing attention from overseas teams.

The 2026 Shanghai Esports Masters and the 2026 China Collegiate Esports League Finals were unveiled at the conference. Games including Valorant and Identity V will feature professional teams from overseas, with international teams expected to account for 30 to 40 percent of the participating lineup.

This year's competition will run for eight days, up from five in previous years, and span two weekends, giving audiences more opportunities to watch the games in person.

Held in Shanghai's Jing'an district, the conference brought together leading players from the global esports industry, including Qualcomm, the Esports Foundation, and Hero Esports.

Source: Jiefang Daily